Prophecy
by Asher Tye
Summary: Changed name from Silver Fox! In the world of Mobius, a prophecy exist of one who will one day bring the world to a great harmony. Whether he will do it through peace or destruction is a choice as simple... as the flip of a coin.
1. SF: Natural Programmed Killer

Silver Fox (Edited and Revised)

by

Asher Tye

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First off is the legal shtick. Sonic, Tails, Rotor and all the rest are owned by Archie and Sega. The only character that I created is Silver Fox. I also wish to apologize to Marvel Comics and Stan Lee for the similarity between Doctor Octopus' tentacles and the tentacles used by Silver Fox. Nothing personal, but I could not help designing the character without them. Also, this story may get a bit violent towards the end, so if you have a problem with it, stop reading. This is my first Fan-Fic so I would like some comments from those who read it. I hope there is nothing out there like this and if there is, I apologize, but this really did come from my mind. If you would like to use the story or Silver Fox as a basis for one of your own, please ask first, I would like to know who is using it.

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Timeline: Three months after the events chronicled in Archie's Mecha-Madness Comic.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&Part 1: The Doctor, the Hedgehog, and the Silver Fox, or Natural Programmed Killer

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It was night in the crippled city of Robotropolis, yet still there was much activity. The city's lord and master sat in his computerized chair, thinking of a new plan and a new weapon to use against his hated enemies, the Freedom Fighters. On his chair's computer screen could be seen the culmination of several weeks' worth of design, technological advancement, and planning. Suddenly, a sliding door opened and in walked a short, balding man with a big nose. He looked almost asleep on his feet.

"Dr. Robotnik," the man asked, "you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Snively. I want to show you something." The red suited Doctor Robotnik turned from the screen to face his nephew (and lackey). "Do you remember E.V.E.?"

"The renegade robot that tried to destroy you? Yes sir, I remember her well," came Snively's answer.

"You also remember how effective she was against that hated hedgehog, Sonic?" Snively nodded. "Unfortunately, there were problems with her. I designed her to take the course of action logically best for her, and that of course led her to betray me. However, I think I may have solved that little problem. E.V.E. was a pure robot, programmed too perfectly to survive for herself. I have learned from that experience, as well as from my experience with the Mecha-Sonic, that my robots must always see it in their best interest to remain subservient to me, no matter how powerful they get.

"I've also learned to choose my victims carefully. In all instances in which Sonic has clashed with one of my robots, he has not hesitated to destroy them, even when they were former friends of his. But, though my brain-burn technology made him try to destroy Knothole, as Mecha-Sonic he could not kill his two-tailed fox comrade." Robotnik began to explain, "So my question becomes, if I were to take that sweet, innocent little ball of fur and transform him into an unstoppable engine of destruction, what defense would those wretched Freedom Fighters have?"

"But sir, why choose such a weak creature for a warrior? Why not use someone like Princess Sally or that dragon, uh, Dulcy? They would be much more capable of causing destruction on a massive scale than some kit barely out of diapers." Snively asked.

"Because for the greater good, Sally has most likely left orders for her robotic version to be destroyed rather than let her friends come to harm. But the fox is just a child, neither Sonic or Sally would ever try to destroy him. They would cling ever hopefully to the notion of getting him back in flesh and blood. And thanks to some new advances in the roboticization process, as well as sensor, armor, weapons, and AI technology, I can control how Tails will turn out when he is transformed." Robotnik gloats. "And to top it all off, that flying two-tailed freak knows all of Sonic's best moves. As a machine he will be able to counter anything Sonic, or any of the Freedom Fighters, can do to try to stop him.

"Make the capture of Tails THE top priority," commanded the bloated dictator.

"Of course, sir," Snively said aloud, adding softly, "You senile old coot."

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A few days later at the hidden village of Knothole, Sonic is busy looking for Sally after having just returned from a drop box run with something very important for the Princess from Uncle Chuck. His search ended as he found her in the war-hut, her typical home away from home.

"Yo, Sal," Sonic said, "Uncle Chuck's left a message in the blind drop for us. Ol' Buttnik is up ta somethin' big. Unc says he's workin' on some mondo new mega-weapon."

"N.I.C.O.L.E.'s scans of Robotnik's computer systems also point to that," Sally said. "Did Charles learn anything else about it?"

"Nope, ol' eggbelly's got the whole thing under the tightest security we've ever seen," the blue hedgehog answered. "But Unc is still trying, so don't worry, Sal. By the by, have you seen Tails around?"

"Last I heard Antoine and Rotor were taking him to the meadow for some fun. With all the excitement we've been having lately, the poor kid has been bored out of his mind. I felt it would do him some good to get out of the village for a few hours."

Remembering a fox's natural urge to be out in the open and away from confinement, Sonic merely replies, "Cool, I'll just mosey on over to the meadow and check up on them. Tails can be a handful sometimes." And with that, Sonic speeds off, creating a vacuum in his wake.

& & & & & & & & &

In a clearing near the Great Forest, the fox in question was quite busy picking flowers for a bouquet for his "Aunt" Sally. On a nearby rock Rotor, a walrus, kept an eye on Tails, remembering what happened the last time when the young vulpine had been left on his own. Antoine, a coyote wearing the unmistakable uniform of a palace guard, practiced his swordplay, oblivious to the world around him. Thus it was that Sonic sped up completely unnoticed by him, accompanied by his trademark sonic boom which promptly knocked the aristocratic coyote to his butt.

"You stoopeed fuel," Antoine yelled in his bad French accent, "I could 'ave been hurted."

"Relax Ant I knew exactly what I was doing. But shouldn't you be keeping an eye on Tails too?" Sonic asked, pointing to where the orange fox was picking flowers.

"Rotor is saying that he can watch zhe young one heemself. I see no reason why I should be interfering in it." And with that, Antoine returned to his swordplay.

"Jerk." Sonic muttered, and then he ran to the flower patch his little friend was in. "Yo, big guy. How's it hangin'?"

"Perfect Sonic. Do you think 'Aunt' Sally will like these?" The young kit held up a bouquet of wildflowers, looking very pleased with himself as his older mentor started nodding.

& & & & & & & &

"Sir, Stealthbots report they have sighted the two-tailed fox. Unfortunately he is currently in the company of three of the freedom fighters, one of which is Sonic. They are awaiting your orders, Doctor." Snively told his master.

"Take him now," Robotnik commanded in a hiss.

& & & & & & & & &

"So, was there anything good at the blind drop?" Rotor finally asked.

"Uncle Chuck says ol' chubberbolts is up to somethin' big, but what, he hasn't been able to find out yet. Apparently, though, Buttnik's had to take the roboticizor off-line for it. He's been calling in raw materials from all over his empire too. I don't know about you, but that just screams major headache heading our way." As if to drive that point home for Sonic, a stream of laser fire smacked down into the ground between the hedgehog and the walrus. Both looked up to see a squadron of Stealthbots flying overhead.

"Capture Freedom Fighter target; Tails, priority one, by order of Robotnik," said the lead Stealthbot in its scratchy metallic voice. Two of the Stealthbots broke off formation and headed for Tails, who had already taken cover in the flower patch. Sonic ran at top speed to his friend, dodging laser fire all the way. A quick jump and a Sonic spin later and the two Stealthbots were out of commission, permanently.

"Ant, get Tails back to Knothole; Rotor an' I'll cover you."

"I am teenking this is a very good idea," said the coyote as he grabbed Tails's arm and ran for the woods. Unfortunately, his escape route was quickly blocked off by a group of SWATbots.

"Capture Freedom Fighter target; Tails, priority one, by order of Robotnik," squawked the lead SWATbot. It then shot Antoine with a concussion laser, knocking him out. Seeing this Tails began to twirl his two tails like a helicopter to take off, hoping the SWATbots would be too busy to notice. Before he could get to Antoine and make their escape, another robot fired a sedative into the two-tailed vulpine's arm. This was sufficient to knock the kitsune out and the SWATbots quickly claimed their prize, leaving Antoine to explain what had happened.

& & &

Meanwhile Sonic and Rotor were faring much better against the Stealthbots. Another had come down, and Sonic and Rotor were ready for more, when all the robots suddenly retreated.

"Well whaddaya know," Sonic said to his walrus chum, "we did it."

"I don't know Sonic. It's not like Robotnik to pull his forces out unless they achieve their objective," Rotor mused. "He doesn't care if we trash 'em all as long as he gets what he wants."

"You're right. We'd better check around. The lead butt-bot said they were after Tails and I don't like the idea of my little bro in Doc Botnik's clutches." With that, Sonic began his search, soon coming upon Antoine, who was just awakening from his experience.

"Oy, what has been happening?" the dazed coyote asked. "Zhe last ting I am remembering ees zhe SWATbots."

"What!" Sonic screamed. "You let SWATbots get their metal mitts on Tails. Oh you've done some pretty lame things in your time Ant, but this takes the cake."

"It vas not my fault, I am fighting as hard as I could, but eet vas sixteen SWATbots against zhe one of moi. They knocked me out after I destroyed my feeth one," Antoine said, though it was fairly obvious the hedgehog believed him not at all. Sonic prepared to jump him, but Rotor stepped in the way.

"Sonic there's no time for squabbling, we have to get back to Knothole and tell Sally, then we can make a plan to get Tails back."

"No time, Tails could already be in Robotropolis. I've got to get to him before Robotnik do whatever it is he plans to do with him."

"And get yourself captured too? Look, you don't even have a power ring, so you'll be weaponless. And if we do anything hasty, Robotnik might hurt, or even kill, Tails before we can save him. You know he's petty like that. It won't matter to him if he didn't win just so he knows you didn't either," Rotor interjected. The hedgehog conceded and the Freedom Fighters headed for home as fast as they could.

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A hover unit landed on the command center of Robotropolis and two SWATbots stepped out carrying a still unconscious Tails. Quickly they took their youthful captive to their evil overlord.

"Very good 4025, you have done your work well," Robotnik said, an evil smile on his face. "How much longer will the sedative remain in effect?"

"Approximately forty-five minutes until the tranquilizer wears off," the lead SWATbot answered obediently.

"Ample time. Now listen carefully, take our young friend to the lab. There is a glass cylinder there. Place him inside and lock his arms, legs, and tails into its built-in shackles. On the table there is a special headset and a face-mask. Press the green button on the side of the mask first and then place it over his mouth and nose so that it is air-tight. I don't want a single space left for anything to get in or out. Next, place the headset over his ears and strap them down to be air-tight as well. Then put the locks on the cylinder and press the red button on the side. When the cylinder has filled completely with the yellow liquid, press the red button again to shut it off. After that, guard that room as if your circuits depended on it," Robotnik instructed. He knelt down to look at Tails's slack face. "You're going to go down in history my boy, as the robot that destroyed Sonic the Hedgehog and the Freedom Fighters." The SWATbots left with the fox.

"Sir, are you sure this is wise? Remember what happened with E.V.E. when you gave her the ability to think for herself? She almost killed you and from what I've seen of the schematics for this robot, he might just finish the job she failed, particularly with all the positronic circuitry you've given him," Snively said tentatively.

"Maybe so," Robotnik stated, "However, I have taken some precautions to insure against that possibility. That head set is pumping in a subliminal learning program that will make my robot every bit as sadistic and cunning as me. I tried this procedure once before, so I could send a spy among the Freedom Fighters. Unfortunately, I thought at the time that it did not work. When I roboticized the subjects, though, the program took effect and over-rode the usual programs. It appears I made a mistake and created something for robot re-education. This," Robotnik holds up a small diskette, "contains a program that will enslave his mind and make him loyal only to me. But I think I have explained myself enough for one night, Snively. Let's go to the lab. This will take much time and I do not want the sedatives to have an adverse effect on our 'guest.'" The mad dictator leaves with his less-than-faithful assistant.

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Back at Knothole Sonic the Hedgehog paced back and forth in Sally's hut, hurriedly telling her all the events that had transpired. Sally listened with a calm and composed attitude, but it could be seen in her eyes that she was clearly troubled.

"...And then Rotor said we should beat feet back to Knothole and tell you, so I juiced back here," said an obviously distraught Sonic. "Sal we gotta rescue him. I don't even want to think about what Robotnik's doing to poor Tails."

"Sonic, there's more to this than you know. Knuckles contacted us and said Robotnik has had SWATbots and workerbots mining something on the other side of the Great Forest. And from what you've told me, those Stealthbots were specifically after Tails. We have to make a careful plan, or Robotnik might do something we'll all regret," Sally said. "At least wait until we have a plan, otherwise we run the risk of Tails being killed simply because we came unprepared."

"All right Sal, for Tails' sake."

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Four days later in Robotropolis found Dr. Robotnik in his lab with Tails, who still floated in the glass cylinder. Snively soon walked in holding a report in his hands.

"Doctor Robotnik, security reports that the Freedom Fighters attempted to break their furry friend out of Robotropolis again last night. This makes three nights in a row, each time getting progressively closer to their objective. The SWATbots were barely able to stop them this time and if they attack again tonight, I'm not sure we will be able to hold them off at all."

Robotnik smiled at his assistant and said, "Let them try Snively. By tonight, my ultimate weapon will be ready to show them. And when I add this logic-subservience program to the algorithm, he will be totally under my power." Robotnik grabbed his nephew by the shoulders, shoving the small Overlander in front of the computer he'd been working at. "Look at him Snively." Robotnik punched up the design-plan for his new robot. "He' powered by a fusion/fission reactor that is constantly splitting and recombining atoms, supplying him with a limitless energy source. Based on what I learned from the Void, I created a miniature universe with a single portal inside of him. There he can store a near infinite amount of machinery, everything he will ever need to keep himself operational. Very handy since Tails himself is too puny to support all the mechanisms I am designing him with, but this solves his problem quite easily. In fact, the only systems in this universe permanently are the weapons, body, brain, power source, sensors, intake valves, rockets, and some other special surprises. And his weapons systems alone make him the deadliest creature on Mobius.

"His shoulders will contain anti-matter warheads which he can internally manufacture to keep up an almost constant supply. The tops of his forearms have quantum energy lasers in them, and the bottoms, machine guns with titanium-tipped bullets for those opponents who dare try to absorb his energy. Even his head houses a larger quantum energy canon, and his back and feet hold rockets capable of pushing him to supersonic flight speeds. And for those opponents who strike from multiple directions, his sides house retractable octopus-like arms that can strike with the force of a train up to thirty feet away. And to top it all off, the whole body is covered in indestructible vibrium armor. Even his tails have become weapons, holding six ball-bombs that can be thrown, which his body manufactures internally. Why this creature is less a machine, and more a mechanical god." Robotnik was feeling very impressed with himself for creating such a powerful engine of destruction, but Snively was still unsure.

"If you don't mind my asking again sir, is it wise to give this robot such power? I mean, look at E.V.E. When she learned enough, she no longer wanted to serve you. What happens if this one comes to that conclusion too? I somehow doubt we'll be fortunate enough for him to choose to leave the planet as well."

Robotnik entered the diskette he'd previously held into the computer. "This program makes sure that, no matter what new data he receives, it will all equate into the fact that the best course for him is to serve me. And only he can add new equipment and programs to himself after he has been activated. The best part is, even if the Freedom Fighters get a deroboticizor through his shields, I can just throw Tails into the old roboticizor and get back my robot unchanged. All this," he points the equipment surrounding them, "is needed only once."

"And what designation number will you give this new warrior?" Snively asked, more at ease.

"Oh, no number, this one will have a name, one befitting what he is now and will become. I shall call him, the Silver Fox. Now, the rest of the programs will take about a half hour longer to be down-loaded. After that it will take about six hours for his slow, careful roboticization, so he should be ready for tonight's unveiling. I am going to make some preparations for our friends' inevitable arrival; you are to call me when he is nearly ready, Snively." With that, the egg-shaped doctor begins to leave. "Oh, and Snively, make sure the surge protectors are on. It looks like a storm is brewing."

When his master left, Snively began to look at the designs of Silver Fox's systems. What he sees is almost so advanced that it frightens him. "Olfactory senses, multi-visual and multi-audial sensor types. That old coot's really outdone himself this time. I wonder if he'll make anymore." Just then, thunder crashed into the ground outside, reminding Snively of his job. He turned on the surge protectors, unaware that a one is faulty

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One half hour later.

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"Sir, the logic subservience program is about to load," Snively said as a bolt of lightening strikes causing the power to flicker for a second. "Don't worry sir, all the surge protectors are on-line."

"Good Snively, I will be down there soon, begin the roboticization process but do it slowly. Robotnik out."

Unbeknownst to either villain, the lightning tripped the fail-safes of the Robotropolis mainframe, causing the massive computer to do a quick reboot, dumping its active memory cache into nothingness. Thus it is that the programs running are missing several important algorithms.

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In Knothole a very upset Sonic paced back and forth once more, this time in the War Room, clearly agitated by the past failures the Freedom Fighters have suffered in their attempts to rescue his little bro. Sally busies herself by studying the holographic map of Robotropolis, provided by her minicomputer N.I.C.O.L.E., as well as looking over the new information from Uncle Chuck. There is no doubt that she is planning their next strike to free Tails.

"Sonic," Sally said, "would you please just sit down. It's very distracting when you pace around the room."

"Sorry Sal," the blue hedgehog replied. "It's just… Tails could already be a workerbot now and lost all alone in one of Robotnik's scuzz-factories. I don't want him to end up like the rest of his family."

Sally knew what this meant to Sonic. Ever since the fox cub had joined the Freedom Fighters in their war against Robotnik, Sonic had felt a kind of responsibility towards him. Tails meant almost everything to Sonic, who had come to think of the vulpine as the little brother he'd never gotten a chance to have during peace time.

"Sonic," Sally stated, "I really don't think Tails is a robot yet and I'll tell you why. Each time we've tried to get him back, we've met with more and more resistance. We haven't seen him in the holding cells, and then there's the fact that Charles says the roboticizor is still off-line. All in all that adds up to the idea that whatever Robotnik wanted him for, it hasn't happened yet."

"Sally I can't help but worry about him."

"I understand Sonic, but that's not going to help us," Sally said. Then a tall, burly figure walked into the room.

"Princess, you called for me?" The figure asked, in a gruff voice. He then stepped into the light, revealing himself to be a Mobian Tiger, and a very big one at that.

"Yes Tygris. You're coming with us on the mission this time. We can really use someone strong against the SWATbots and, if this runs true to form, I know we'll meet a lot of them."

"We should also take Bunnie and Dulcy, they've always been a big help on these missions," Sonic suggested. Just then Antoine walked in, causing Sonic to glare angrily at him, obviously still mad over his supposed act of cowardice when Tails needed him. "Whadda YOU want?!"

Ignoring the hedgehog, the coyote turned to Sally, saluting and saying, "Antoine D'Coolette requesting permission to join zhis rescue mission."

"Antoine, I am surprised," the squirrel replied. "This is the first mission you've ever volunteered to go on."

"My honor ees at stake here. It vas I who failed to be protecting Tails, zo it ees I who must be helping in bringing heem back."

"Very well Antoine, you're on the team. Just remember though, this was your idea so you can't back out of it. And I will have you court-martialed if you run out on us in fear."

"Agreed," came the coyote's reply.

"All right, let's go over the plan. We'll enter Robotropolis here and then we..."

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It was night in Robotropolis when the rescue team made its move. Tygris had volunteered to be lookout, but none of the Freedom Fighters had seen any 'bots on patrol anywhere. Of all the things that could have happened, this was something the six had not been prepared for. Sally was the first to speak of the situation.

"Don't you think it's odd that we haven't run into a single patrol yet Tygris?" She whispered to the big tiger beside her.

"Of course I do Princess. This isn't like Robotnik at all.."

"I don't know whether this is a miracle or an omen." Suddenly, a SWATbot walked up to the Freedom Fighter's hiding place.

"Welcome Freedom Fighters. This unit has been instructed to take you to your friend, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik. I have been disarmed so I cannot capture you, but if you wish, you may scan me to verify this," the robot said in its metallic voice.

"Yeah right, SWATbutt, as if we're gonna trust you," Sonic said.

"Have it your way, but you will not be able to find your young friend without me. And as I said, you may scan me to prove that I am unarmed."

N.I.C.O.L.E," Sally commanded her palmtop computer, "scan SWATbot for any signs of weaponry."

"Scanning. No weapons located in SWATbot," N.I.C.O.L.E. replied.

"Well it looks like he is telling the truth. I guess we have no choice but to follow him." With that the six Freedom Fighters followed the robot. It led them through a maze of streets and buildings to the command center of Robotropolis. The robot then took them down corridor after corridor until they came to a large set of doors.

"Enter," The SWATbot instructed as it opened the doors for the team to enter. Inside stood Dr. Robotnik in all his bloated glory, what he no doubt believed to be a warm and welcoming smile on his face. And why shouldn't he have been welcoming? He was, after all, quite glad to see his long-time adversaries.

"Welcome Freedumb Fighters. I am sure you're quite curious as to the whereabouts of your two-tailed friend."

"Cut the routine Eggman, where's Tails!" Sonic yelled.

"All in good time, wretched rodent, all in good time. You'll see your friend soon enough, I assure you. But wouldn't you like to know what I've been up to with him?"

"Warning, warning!!" N.I.C.O.L.E. sounded. "Unknown robotic entity is active in the roof above us!"

"Oh, now you've gone and spoiled my surprise Princess. Well, I guess you would have found out about it eventually. Silver Fox; come down and greet these nice people," Robotnik commanded. Two tentacle-like arms dropped from the rafters to support a metallic vulpine body. Each member, to varying degrees, realized just how significant this new robot's appearance was, but Sonic was the first to give voice to it.

"Tails," Sonic whispered.

"That's right hedgehog, it's your friend, Tails. I've made some improvements to the original design. It quite simply means you are finished. He is now powered by a fusion/fission reactor. Princess, you can ask your computer what would occur if it blew."

"N.I.C.O.L.E?"

"The resulting explosion would completely devastate 95 of the planet's total mass. The remaining 5 would cease to support life thirty seconds afterward."

"I did feel somewhat honor-bound to mention that little face, just in case you didn't prove sentimental enough to keep from destroying them. Now, you are going to help me test my latest super-weapon. Silver Fox; capture them."

"Yes sir," Silver Fox replied. He launched two tentacle arms, both of which almost connect with Sonic. The blue hedgehog jumped out of the way in time and spun to cut the tentacles, but the indestructible vibrium armor easily deflects his spinning form. Understanding the danger her team was now in, Sally sounded an immediate retreat. As they run out the door. Robotnik calmly gave Silver Fox his new commands.

"Take them." Silver Fox's rockets flared as he flew after his former friends.

"It will not be long now Snively," Robotnik gloated in a voice that was approaching something resembling true glee.

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Sally, Bunnie, Sonic, Dulcy, Antoine, and Tygris ran as fast as they could as the robo-fox closed in on them. Seeing their peril, Sally gave the command to split up at a three-way fork in the streets. At her command, Bunnie and Sonic went left, Sally and Tygris headed right, while Antoine and Dulcy keep moving forward. Quickly gauging the situation, Silver Fox gave chase to the squirrel and the tiger. The bottom of his forearm opened up to show a gun that fired a spray of bullets, one of which struck Sally's leg. A second shot, from the top of the same forearm, sent a bridge crashing down ahead of the two animals, trapping them. Tygris stepped in front of the injured princess, willing to protect her from anything that may come.

"If you want her, you'll have to come through me!" He growled.

"An admirable statement, though hardly within your power to fulfill," came Silver Fox's response. Tygris moved right between the robot and Sally. Silver Fox just grinned.

"You know this is a big mistake, tiger, surrender now and maybe I will think about going easy on both of you."

"Forgive me Tails, but I can't let you harm the Princess!" Tygris yelled as he aised a titanic laser to his shoulder. The burly tiger took aim and fired, striking Silver Fox with an impact that caused an explosion around it. But when the smoke cleared, there stood the metallic fox with not even a scratch on him.

"My turn." Silver Fox spun on his toes once, releasing two ball-shaped bombs from his tails. The first hit Tygris's gun, exploding on contact and destroying it while injuring the tiger's hand. The second struck his chest, releasing a black cloud of smoke around him. Silver Fox then went into a crouch, extending his tentacles around him as he jumped at Tygris. His top-left tentacle arm struck first, breaking the tiger's back. The follow-up fist to the jaw broke the neck, a third blow from the bottom-left tentacle arm impaled the heart, while the final blow, a quick and deadly kick to the throat by a razor sharp foot, severed the windpipe. The only sound the dying tiger was able to make was the thud when he hit the ground. Princess Sally watched the fight in horror as her friend fell dead and his killer just turned to the squirrel and grinned.

"Well, that was fun," the cybernetic killer commented.

"Tygris!" Sally screamed. Forgetting all about the pain in her leg, she stood up and fired N.I.C.O.L.E.'s laser. The beam of light flew true, but three feet away from its target, the blast was bounced off a newly activated force-field. Three tentacles fly out, one securing N.I.C.O.L.E. for its master while another secured the princess. The final tendril opened up to reveal a sharp needle that was immediately stabbed into the squirrel, injecting her with a sedative. A mental command is given, and the creature-who-was-once-Tails fired his rockets and continued his pursuit of the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

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Sonic ran with Bunnie for all he was worth, his mind screaming in fear over this new development. It was one thing to fight someone he hadn't known too well who'd been roboticized, especially if they were older, but he knew he couldn't inflict harm on his little fox friend, robot or not. And even if he could, the hedgehog had heard what N.I.C.O.L.E. had said about Silver Fox's reactor being damaged.

"Sugarhog, I sure do hate to be the bearer o' bad news, but we all got company," The cyber-bunny warned.

"Don't worry Bunnie, there ain't any way a robot can catch up with this hedgehog," Sonic replied, going even faster. Silver Fox watched this and accelerated to match Sonic's speed. He'd decided to play with hedgehog before catching him and the girl rabbit. After about thirty seconds of herding the racing rodent with his lasers, Silver Fox broke off pursuit to get ahead of them and proceeded to cut the blue teenager's path off. Turning around, he once more began to herd Sonic towards the trap he had laid for Princess Sally. Sonic didn't even see that he was being led somewhere until it was too late.

"Bunnie, you get outta here and I'll try to hold him off."

"No way, Sugar-hog, Freedom Fighters don't abandon each other, especially to ol' Robotnik's cronies." Bunnie stated.

"Such loyalty, such companionship, I do hope those qualities won't be completely erased when you're both workerbots," The metallic voice of their pursuer stated. Silver Fox landed, maneuvering his tentacle to put the still unconscious princess aside and out of reach. As he turned around, Sonic hit him with a spin to the chest, only to once more be deflected by the vibrium armor that made Silver Fox's body. This did not surprise Sonic, however, as he wasn't trying to hurt his former friend as much as knock him to the ground.

Unfortunately, Silver Fox was not dealt with so easily as he stood up quickly and attacked. A tentacle arm shot out to grab Sonic, but the hedgehog was too quick and jumped out of the way. Bunnie then grabbed her enemy's shoulder with her own robotic arm. That's when she felt just how strong Silver Fox was as he broke her grip and turned, slamming her into a wall of junk. Sonic again spun at Silver Fox, but the machine just stepped out of the way and blasted some of the rubble down on Sonic. Bunnie again grabbed Silver Fox's arm in an attempt to shoulder-throw him, but he grabbed her cyber-arm and reversed the move, both knocking her out and breaking he cyber-arm off at the connectors. Holding the appendage in his hands, a small part of Silver Fox began to get upset over what he had done, but it soon passed with the realization that that the arm could easily be fixed.

Sonic, on the other hand, was in better shape. He began to wake up from his collision with the rubble, ready to get himself and Bunnie out of there. Silver Fox had other thoughts. Jumping into the air, he used his hands to cut through an overhead oil-line, sending its contents spilling down in front of Sonic. With no time to stop before and no friction after hitting the oil slick, Sonic rammed into Silver Fox, falling into unconsciousness as his head connected with the metallic body.

"This is too easy," Silver Fox mused as he collected his prizes and retrieved the still prone Sally. "Four down, I wonder how many to go."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dulcy was doing her best to breathe. She was positively amazed at how strong Antoine was, especially when he was scared. Not that she could fault him as she "cracked the whip" for the third time. They had spotted the Silver Fox robot chasing them and, even with her patented trick to gain speed, he was still gaining on her. The dragon was now attempting to lose her pursuer, something that was proving difficult given the fact that he was able to move through tighter areas than she.

"Eh, Dulcy."

"Tony! Can't you see I'm kinda busy? How close is he?" Dulcy asked.

"Zat ees what I am trying to tell you. I was watching heem when he suddenly disap... Zut allures, Dulcy, look out!" Dulcy swerved just in time to be missed by an energy laser. Silver Fox had passed them up and opened fire from below. Although she evaded the blast, it did force her to land or risk crashing, something that could not happen if she wanted to live. Silver Fox also landed, preparing to capture the two. Dulcy saw the others, still unconscious, in his tentacles and attacked the cyborg, spitting a concentrated burst of flame.

& & &

Meanwhile in the command center of Robotropolis, Robotnik watched his warrior engaging the dragon. He looked exceptionally pleased with his handiwork. Silver Fox was performing admirably, even better than Mecha-Sonic or Metal-Sonic had.

"Dr. Robotnik," Snively spoke up. "Are you sure it's safe to keep this 'bot around? You saw what he did to that tiger. What would stop him from doing the same to us if he turned against us?"

"You worry too much, Snively," Robotnik replied. "I told you, the logic-subservience program keeps him under my control. There is no way he can rebel against me as long as it is active."

"If you say so sir, but I'll feel better when that's proven." With that both villains turned back to watch the fight, watching as Dulcy's fireball was repelled by Silver Fox's force field.

& & &

Sally's head hurt from the effects of the powerful sedative she'd been injected with, but she was finally regaining consciousness. The first thing she noticed was that something metal was coiled around her, the second was that Bunnie and Sonic were in the same predicament, only they were still out of it. At first Sally couldn't understand how this had happened, but looking down to the source of the coiled tentacle brought it all back. She silently shuddered when she saw Dulcy engaging Silver Fox, reminding her of what had happened to Tygris. She searched for Antoine and found him holding his own against the fourth and final tentacle the metal vulpine had free, obviously hoping to avoid the same fate his friends had received. The ground squirrel tried to get out of her bindings to help her friends, or at the very least distract her captor with her struggles, but it was no use. The more she struggled, the tighter the tentacle became. So, Sally did the only thing she could.

"Dulcy, Antoine! This is a direct order; retreat and return to Knothole, NOW!" she yelled. The coyote and the dragon looked at each other, not believing what they had heard, but complying anyway. Antoine jumped for Dulcy as the guardian dragon began to take off. Silver Fox prepared to follow, but a thought fires through his mind and he instead flew off for the death egg command center, prisoners in tow.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You let them get AWAY!!!" Robotnik screamed at Silver Fox. "Your orders were to capture them ALL! Why did you let two escape?!"

"They will bring more Freedom Fighters and then, I will be able to crush them all."

"Do not try my patience, robot. I made you, and I can break you. Now, put the prisoners in their cells and begin patrolling for those Freedom Fighters; or I will recycle you into a toaster," Robotnik ordered, turning his back to his silvery creation.

"You know, Moby Dick, I'm getting awfully tired of you ordering me around," Silver Fox snapped back. This act of defiance of course caused Robotnik to turn back around.

"Of all the... How dare you talk to me like that?! I am your master," Robotnik growled.

"That's another thing. Why am I being ruled by an obviously inferior creature? In my first hours of life, I have accomplished what you failed to do your entire pathetic career. If anyone should rule Mobius, it should be me." So saying, the two-tailed robot wrapped Robotnik with his fourth tentacle. The vulpine then took his prisoners to the cells, dropping them roughly inside. Two SWATbots appeared and made to stand guard over the cells.

"You miserable traitor!" Robotnik screamed. "How dare you do this to your creator? SWATbots, terminate Silver Fox!" But the SWATbots just stood there.

"I reprogrammed them to follow my orders now. Almost all the SWATbots in the city are under my control, and those that aren't soon will be. Unfortunately, I can't roboticize you four yet or you might turn out like me, so you'll have to stay here till I can get the roboticizor back to normal," Silver Fox replied. "Don't look so mad Ivo. This was bound to happen. You're just too good at making creatures better than yourself." Just then the Freedom Fighters began to wake up.

"Wha... What happened?" Sonic stammered out, rubbing his head. Looking around, he saw Bunnie also starting to come to, though her robotic arm wasn't with her. He also saw Robotnik yelling at Silver Fox, as well as the fact that the dictator was also in the cell. What's goin' on?"

"It seems Robotnik's new toy is no longer interested in being second banana," said Sally. "Apparently, the controls he put into Silver Fox don't work and Silver Fox has decided he'd make a much better ruler than the Doctor."

"Well Iron Lips, it seems you'll have some company during your stay."

"AAAhhh!!!"

"Bunnie?" Sally asked.

"Where's mah arm? Ah can't find it."

"Oh don't worry, Ms. Rabbot. Your arm is right here, along with N.I.C.O.L.E." Silver Fox points to a table outside the cell. "Now, I guess you're all wondering what I intend to do with my new resources. I have determined that, although they don't pose a threat to me personally, the Knothole Freedom Fighters are a threat to my new empire. Unfortunately, I am not able to download all of Tails's memories at the moment, so I can't just walk out and slaughter Knothole." At this, Sally sighed in relief. "So, I'm going to do what Robotnik never dared do. Soon I will have several napalm bombs ready. I will drop these on the Great Forest and burn it to the ground, along with all the Freedom Fighters who dwell there."

"Way uncool. You'll make that entire area uninhabitable for generations," Sonic protested.

"Maybe for your kind, hedgehog, but not for mine, I guarantee it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and find Snively. I can't have him running around and causing trouble, can I?" Bowing in mock respect to Robotnik, Silver Fox left.

"We HAVE to get out of here," Sally said. "That monster can't be allowed to burn the Great Forest done."

"And how do you propose we do that Princess? I seriously doubt he is going to let us just waltz in and destroy his plans, even if we could escape," said Robotnik.

"At least Antoine and Dulcy got away. If I had N.I.C.O.L.E., I could warn them and Knothole but she..."

"That's it!" interrupted Robotnik. "N.I.C.O.L.E. might be able to open the cell, if she wasn't disabled in the battle. Silver Fox may have access to most of Robotropolis's computers, but he doesn't have access to all of the codes. Princess, have your computer access the cell computers and I'll give it the code to open the cells."

"N.I.C.O.L.E., establish radio link with Robotropolis cell computers," Sally commanded.

"Link established."

"The access code is; Rainbow," Robotnik said. Sonic looked at him strangely, but didn't say a word. Sally told N.I.C.O.L.E. the password and the cell shields dropped, allowing all four walked out.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Back at Knothole, Dulcy, Rotor, and Antoine sit in the War Room, discussing the events that occurred earlier. Rotor was very worried about this new addition to Robotnik's forces. Antoine was also clearly upset.

"We must be going and rescuing zem. We cannot just let zis be. Zhe Prinzess, she is in danger."

"Cool down Antoine," Rotor said. "If Tails has become as powerful as you say he has, then we have to take this slowly and carefully. If we get captured too, then that could be the..." Just then a transmission from N.I.C.O.L.E. came in. The three animals were shocked to see Princess Sally, alive and well, appear on the video screen.

"Dulcy, Antoine; I'm glad to see you made it back to Knothole safely. We've got a big problem on our hands."

"I know," Rotor said, "they told me all about it."

"No, it's gotten much worse. Silver Fox has taken over Robotropolis and he intends to use napalm bombs to obliterate the Great Forest. Not so tight Robotnik."

A hard voice the Freedom Fighters knew only too well replied, "It has to give proper support, or else your leg will not heal properly."

"Sally, is that...?"

"Yes Dulcy, its Robotnik. Like I said, Silver Fox took over Robotropolis so he's as much a threat to the Doctor as to us," Sally explained.

"Okay Princess, just don't turn your back on him."

"We don't know where he's going to launch his weapons from, but be ready to move. Evacuate Knothole's residents to a fall back position outside the forest."

"All right Sally," Rotor said. "Just don't stay there for long. Rotor out."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

At the command center, Silver Fox sat in Robotnik's command chair, only slightly annoyed at the fact that he is too short to reach the floor from it. SWATbots and workerbots manned the computers, working at the metallic fox's command. Just then a SWATbot turned around, holding an armload of disks.

"Sir," it said, "all the files you wanted have been downloaded into these disks and deleted completely from the computers. Also projects Omega and Destiny are respectively ready."

"And the Stealthbots?" Silver Fox asked.

"They are almost ready to go. We await your further orders."

"Load as many SWATbots, Stealthbots, workerbots, hover-units, and other equipment into the Wing Fortress as soon as its modifications have been made. Also load Omega onboard. As soon as the Stealthbots have been armed, prepare to launch them," ordered Silver Fox.

"Yes sir."

"Now, give me the disks so I can download them into my memory. Then destroy all the hard evidence. I don't want there to be any trace whatsoever of anything having to do with me. That includes the new roboticizor." The SWATbot gave Silver Fox the disks and left to carry out his orders. Silver Fox carefully placed the disks into his drive, and began to copy.

& & &

In Knothole chaos reigned. Animals were running around everywhere, collecting essentials and valuables, making ready to evacuate not only Knothole, but the Great Forest as well. Rotor was building a large basket for Dulcy to carry away people and supplies. Antoine was helping Dr. Quack get patients and medical supplies out of Knothole. They had called Knuckles, who had agreed to watch Robotropolis for Stealthbots while his island was in the vicinity, but that window of protection was quickly fading as the island moved away.

"Zis is terrible. We will all be destroyed eef we do not leave soon!" Antoine screamed as he packed a sterilizer and some surgical equipment.

"Calm down Antoine or I'll have to sedate you. You've got to have faith that Sally and her group can help stop this. The best we can do now is to evacuate as much as possible in the time we have." Dr. Quack replied.

"It would be so much easier eef we were like ze Wolf Pack. Zey were gone and safe an hour after we tolded zem," Antoine stated, still very upset.

"Well," Quack continued, "they are kinda nomads who move around a lot. We never planned on moving Knothole. Still, we should keep packing as much as we can."

"Oui," Antoine said, continuing packing.

& & &

Dulcy busily adjusted the straps to her new harness, trying to compensate for the extra weight the basket added. She was very nervous about carrying people and supplies, mainly because she was afraid she would crash and hurt someone. Rotor, on the other hand, was very calm. The walrus had been working diligently ever since Sally had ordered the evacuation and it was quite possible he simply didn't have time to worry.

"Dulcy, make sure it's not too loose," Rotor said. "You don't want it to start shifting on you in mid-flight."

"All right Rotor. Do you really think all this will work and help us get outta here?" Dulcy asked.

"I hope so. But we can't give up hope that Sally, Sonic, and Bunnie will come through for us. They might be able to stop Silver Fox," answered Rotor.

&_I hope your right. You didn't see this guy in action,_& Dulcy thought to herself.

& & &

Meanwhile in Robotropolis, Silver Fox was busy overseeing the loading of the Stealthbots with the napalm bombs. Just then, a message came in from the Floating Island.

"Sir," said a communications-bot, "we are receiving a transmission from the Spybot on the Floating Island. I think you should listen to it, he has uncovered some interesting information."

"Very well, patch him through to me." Silver Fox entered into a silent conversation with the Spybot. His visual link enabled him to see what the robot did, and he began to smile. "Wonderful… Excellent news. Where is he now? Oh. Continue your job and keep me informed. Silver Fox out. Well, it looks like we'll be changing our plans for Omega. Watch this orbit carefully."

Silver Fox again continued to watche the workerbots load the Stealthbots, confidant that he would soon win this war.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

While Robotnik had been trying to retake control of the SWAT and Stealthbots, Sally diligently worked to locate the bombs so they could save their home. Bunnie and Sonic were more than a little upset over their own uselessness in either these endeavors.

"I just wish we could be more of a help than just wearing a rut in the floor," Sonic complained.

"Don't worry Sugarhog; we'll be seein' some action right soon. We just need to find it first," Bunnie said.

"Arrrgh! He's locked me out of my own system. I can't even gain control of a pocket calculator!" Robotnik yelled.

"Don't get your tights in a knot, Robotnik," Sonic said. "All we need to do is find him. I mean, Tails can't have turned all bad. I refuse to believe that my little buddy would destroy the Great Forest."

"You are so naive, hedgehog. He is not the same fox he was. If worse comes to worse, we'll have to find a safe way to destroy him," Robotnik frankly stated. "He is far too dangerous to remain active."

"I am not going to hurt my friend just because YOU made a mistake," Sonic yelled.

"More than you kn..."

"Will you two both be quiet? N.I.C.O.L.E. has found him. Silver Fox is in hanger one preparing the Stealthbots," Sally said.

"Let's go, I know a shortcut," Robotnik said.

"Ah do hate ta sound gloomy and all, but have any of ya'll thought what we're gonna do against him? Ah mean he did kinda kick all our butts last time we tangled," Bunnie interjected.

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, Bunnie," Sally answered. With that, the foursome headed for the hanger.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Over the plain between Robotropolis and the Great Forest Dulcy flew for the city. On her back road Antoine and Rotor. The three had decided on going on a rescue mission once the work at Knothole was complete. As they entered the city limits, several small flashes flashed brightly on a tall building, giving a Morse code signal to land. Dulcy complied, wondering who had sent the message. To the collected Freedom Fighters' great surprise, Snively walked out of the Shadows. Rotor balled his fists, Antoine drew his sword, and Dulcy crouched into a pouncing position.

"Wait," Snively yelled, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Don't attack. I'm not here for a fight. I need your help."

"And why should we help you?" Dulcy asked.

"Because I can help you save your home. Silver Fox is far too powerful. If we don't stop him now, we won't be able to stop him later," Snively answered. "I'm not sure if Doctor Robotnik OR the hedgehog are even alive anymore, so it's up to us to stop Silver Fox."

"Well, we do know. They should be alive, along with Bunnie and Sally," Rotor said.

"Let's see if we can't find them. Maybe they have a plan on how to deal with him," Snively said. The others nod, agreeing.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Robotnik, Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie silently walked down the corridors of the Death Egg Command Center, making their way towards the hanger. Upon reaching it, Bunnie put her ear to the door and the scowl appearing on her face and indication of not liking what was being said.

"That lil' creep's gettin' ready ta launch tha Stealthbots. We gotta make our move real soon, or Ah'm afraid we aren't gonna be able ta do anythin' about it," Bunnie said.

"So let's juice in there and shut Silver Fox's little operation down," Sonic said, revving up before Robotnik grabbed him.

"How have you stayed alive for so long hedgehog? If we just crash in there, he'll tear us to pieces. We need a plan, and I have a plan." Thus did Robotnik begin to explain.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Inside the hanger, Silver Fox smiled as the last of the bombs were loaded into the Stealthbots. A SWATbot walked up to him.

"Sir," it squawked, "we will be ready to launch the Stealthbots in five minutes."

"Launch when ready. I want the Great Forest to be nothing but ash by tonight."

"Don't bet on it, Metal Mouth!" Sonic yelled as he stepped in. "I'm shuttin' you down. You are not going to burn down the forest."

"That should be interesting to see, Sonic. Especially since I hold all the cards," Silver Fox retorted, ready for anything. He focused all his attention on Sonic, knowing the hedgehog was the most dangerous when you ignored him. However, this was where Robotnik's plan went to work. Tails hadn't known Sonic to play the part of a distraction often enough to associate the two, so Silver Fox could not see Sonic for anything but the main part of a plan to stop him. He didn't notice the fact that Bunnie and Sally were sneaking around his back for the bombs while Robotnik went for the control board. Unfortunately, just as the Princess and rabbit were about to reach their objective, Bunnie's leg squeaked. Not wanting to be distracted, Silver Fox used his sense of smell and came up with all three of the previously unknown threats' scents.

"You! You dare to attempt to fool ME!" Silver Fox yelled. "You shall pay for your insolence!"

"Juice time," Sonic said, and then started to run at the metallic vulpine. Silver Fox stepped out of the way and began to move towards Robotnik. The dictator continued to work on the controls, knowing that if he were to fail, Silver Fox would take everything. Just as the robot was about to attack, though, Dulcy crashed in and landed directly on top of Silver Fox, pinning him with her weight. From her back jumped Snively, Rotor, and Antoine.

"Get off of me you overweight Wyrm!" Silver Fox commanded.

"Overweight Wyrm? Why you little jerk, I oughtta melt you into slag," Dulcy retorted, struggling to keep the fox under her pinned.

"Sir," Snively said, "we have to shut down the Stealthbots before they launch."

"I know, Snively. What do you think I'm trying to do?" Robotnik replied. The SWATbots, though, had other ideas.

"Raise your hands, prisoners," a SWATbot said, pointing its laser at the two Overlanders. Robotnik looked at it, eyes glowing, and suddenly fired a laser from his belt. As the robot fell, Robotnik went back to work and finally got inside the Stealthbots' programming.

Meanwhile Dulcy still struggled to keep Silver Fox down. Unfortunately, the metallic canid was much stronger than he looked and soon threw the larger dragon off him. A quick tentacle wrapped around her, smashing Dulcy into a wall and knocking her out.

"You may think you've won, but you've lost it all," Silver Fox said, surprisingly calm. Then touching his wrist he continued, "Launch Stealthbots!"

"NO!!!!" the Freedom Fighters yell in unison.

"Relax, the Stealthbots aren't going anywhere. I have changed their programs," Robotnik smiled. "Now SWATbots, capture the traitor."

"I don't think so," said Silver Fox, as he fired up his rockets. Once in the air, he turned towards his former friends and retorted, "A true ruler always has a way out. And while you may have stopped my plans this time, I assure you this was only the beginning." And with a roar of his engines, he crashed through the roof of the building, escaping his potential captors.

"So now what do we do Sal? We have Robotnik here, but it might not be a good time for a battle," Sonic stated.

"I'll tell you what WE do, hedgehog," Robotnik answered. "We make a truce, albeit a VERY temporary one. It only just occurred to me that he could have killed us all by blowing the bombs up in here. A quick scan revealed that they are empty shells. He made us think he was going to burn the Great Forest to the ground, but it was all a ruse meant to distract us."

"That still doesn't tell me why we should team up," Sonic said, impatient for an answer.

"Think about it. Flying free out there is a creature that is smarter than Sally and myself, faster than you, stronger than Dulcy, and more powerful than anything any of us has ever encountered. To top it off, he is virtually indestructible and uncontainable, as well as uncontrollable. Alone, neither of our groups can defeat him," Robotnik replied.

"As much as I hate to admit it Sonic," Sally said, "he's right. If we're going to save Mobius, we HAVE to team up with Robotnik." She extends her hand to the doctor.

"I'm glad to see you have agreed." Robotnik grasps Sally's hand and they shake.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Epilogue: Twenty miles out of Robotropolis.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A small figure flew at a relatively slow speed, laughing to himself. He had been flying for two hours at his own leisure, but had started smiling minutes after leaving Robotropolis. Silver Fox finally landed at a long hill and entered a secret door. Upon entering, he was greeted by three SWATbots.

"Sir, all provisions and supplies have been loaded as per your request. Your specified upgrade has been finished. The target has been locked and Weapon Omega is ready. We only await your presence on the bridge."

"Very good 4026," Silver Fox said. "You're sure this machine will allow me to reconstruct any machine or technology I can touch or get a scanner on?"

"It will take time to complete the effects, but when you install this it will be so." Silver Fox took the box from the SWATbot and a small hole opened in his torso. The hole illuminated and Silver Fox placed the box inside.

"It is done. Now, take me to the bridge," he commanded. The SWATbots obediently obey. Once there, Silver Fox sat in a chair not unlike the one in the Death Egg Command Center. On the screen before him is a space scene containing a single odd site; a tower floating in orbit.

"Raise the gun." From the hill, a large gun barrel rose from the ground.

"Now, as I understand it we'll have twelve seconds of this before the barrel melts. We have to get this in one try."

"Position locked, sir. Awaiting command."

"FIRE!!" Silver Fox yelled. A short beam emitted from the cannon as it melted. Silver Fox watched the screen as the beam sliced through the tower and a small green glowing creature slipped out from the wreckage. The creature then began its long star trek to Mobius at a reasonable speed for an organic life form.

"Sir," the SWATbot navigator began, "shall I plot his course so that we may intercept him?"

"No need. I already know where he is heading," Silver Fox stated. "Lay in a course that takes us into a five mile radius around the Floating Island. Let's make sure we intercept him before he gets there and Knuckles doesn't get to notice." As the navigator punched in the coordinates, large engines began to power up and the visage of a hill crumbled to the ground, revealing the awesome Wing Fortress. It rose into the air and sharply thrusts forward on its master's dark plan. Inside, Silver Fox smiled.

"Oh yes, Freedom Fighters. This story is far, far, far from done. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.."

To be continued...

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Well, what do you think? This is my first Sonic the Hedgehog Fan-Fic, and I think it's pretty good. I would like to hear comments from those who read this, as they may help with part two. Write me as Asher Tye. I would also like to reiterate that the character of Silver Fox is owned and operated by Asher Tye. If you wish to use him or the concept of his creation in your own story, please run it by me first, I'd like to know whose using my creation.


	2. SF: Eye of the Storm

Silver Fox: Part 2  
by  
Cale David Kuecker  
  
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First off is the legal shtick. Sonic, Tails, Rotor and all the rest are owned by Archie and Sega. The only character that I created is Silver Fox. I also wish to apologize to Marvel Comics and Stan Lee for the similarity between Doctor Octopus' tentacles and the tentacles used by Silver Fox. Nothing personal, but I could not help designing the character without them. Also, this story may get a bit violent, so if you have a problem with it, stop reading. This is my second Fan-Fic so I would like some comments from those who read it. I hope there is nothing out there like this and if there is, I apologize, but this really did come from my mind. If you would like to use the story or Silver Fox as a basis for one of your own, please ask first, I would like to know who is using it. Also, I strongly advise you read Silver Fox: Part 1 so that you may understand what is going on here.   
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Timeline: Only a couple of hours after the events of Silver Fox: Part I.  
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Part 2: The Eye of the Storm ************************************************************************  
  
"I don't care what you think," Robotnik shouts at a SWATbot. "Change all the access codes. I do not want Silver Fox taking control of everything in the city again."  
"Dr. Robotnik?" Snively asks, tentatively.  
"What is it, Snively?"  
"I... I finished making the rounds of Robotropolis, sir."  
"And?"  
"The Wing Fortress is missing, as are several pieces of weaponry, sensors, and robots. Also, he totally destroyed the new roboticizor and several labs that had certain information and items, which are now missing. They..."  
"Let me guess, Snively," Robotnik interrupted, "The only thing they had in common was that they led to the creation of, or even a part of, Silver Fox."  
"Yes sir."  
"He did it to the computer's memory files too. He's thoroughly deleted much of our information on him. I'm having the SWATbots run a full search for anything he might have missed."  
Snively continues, "Also, the Freedom Fighters are here in the Command Center. Should I bring them in?"  
"Of course, Snively. The sooner they arrive, the sooner we can form a plan to stop Silver Fox," Robotnik answered. Snively left to get the Freedom Fighters.  
  
***************************************  
  
Meanwhile, the Wing Fortress had arrived at its destination, circling the Floating Island. Silver Fox watched as they came to a five mile circle around the island. He waited patiently for his target to be sighted. Just then, a SWATbot turned to his master.  
"Sir, target has been sighted. Awaiting further orders."  
"Hold our current position until I return." Silver Fox stands and walks out to the launch bay. He opens the door and flies out.  
  
* * *  
  
Enerjak was glad to be free. He had no idea who or what had freed him, but he would use this chance to finish what he'd started. Suddenly, a small, black, silver, and gray blur flew by, punching Enerjak as it passed him. He turned around to face the fool who had dared to attack him, and saw a robotic, two-tailed fox. Suddenly, its forearms both opened, revealing two guns. The fox pointed his arms and fired. The force of the blast knocked Enerjak into the water. This, of course, made Enerjak very mad, and he flew back to meet his new opponent. As he emerged, Silver Fox rammed him again, this time following it up with a tentacle punch. He then turned around, and his shoulders opened, revealing two racks of what appeared to be six missiles each. These were Silver Fox's antimatter warheads. He fired all twelve at Enerjak, who, still reeling from the blows he had received, could not dodge in time. When the smoke cleared, one of Silver Fox's tentacles wrapped around the wounded echidna and began to squeeze.  
"Face it old man, this is your end." Silver Fox taunted, "Your powers cannot help you, nothing on this world can."  
"NO!!!" Enerjak screamed, and , focusing all of his remaining strength and will into a tight precision beam, cut through Silver Fox's arm, leaving a small hole and causing him some pain. As he let go of his prey, Enerjak, hurt and in no mood to continue the fight, made his escape. Silver Fox looked at the hole in his shoulder, and, seeing that the nannites in his system were already repairing it, he watched as Enerjak fled for the Floating Island. He then returned to his new fortress.  
  
* * *  
  
Knuckles was very angry. Not so much at Archimedes, but more at the fact that he was bored. It was times like this that he wished he could be like Vector the crocodile and relax, but such a thing seemed beyond him. He'd finally resorted to doing the one thing he hated most of all; lair-cleaning. Archimedes had shown up soon after he started, saying how Knuckles should be on guard because something big was going down. Knuckles's first thought was that the Great Forest had been destroyed after his island had floated away from the mainland. That was when they both heard it. A sort of high pitched cry coming from the air. The echidna and fire-ant ran outside to see what was happening; and were almost hit by a falling green object. It plowed through the ground, stopping when it hit the wall of the cave.  
"What was that?" Knuckles asked Archimedes.  
"Perhaps another Chaos Emerald? I really couldn't tell at the speed it was going. We had better check it out," the fire-ant said. Both animals ran to where the object had stopped and, upon examining it, both recognized what, or who, they were staring at.  
"Enerjak!" both exclaimed.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"I still don't understand it," Sonic said, "Why can't we just use a deroboticizor ray on Silver Fox and turn Tails back into his normal, sweet self?"  
"That force field of his will block the ray long before it could do its job." Robotnik answered, "It will take a great deal of work to defeat this new threat. There will be no easy and fast way out."  
"I'm willing to listen to any ideas that might help doctor," Sally stated frankly.  
"Actually, I don't have any plans to deal with this particular situation. I never actually thought Silver Fox would turn against me."  
"And since we no longer have any data on any of his inner systems and designs, we can't find any feasible weaknesses to use against him," Rotor said.  
"Well, that's not entirely true," Robotnik interjected. "We've managed to retrieve five files Silver Fox failed to totally delete. Three files have to actually do with Silver Fox, but the other two, Omega and Destiny, are totally new. We have schematics for his sensors, force shield, and his internal construction facility."  
"And what about the other two files? Have you been able to open them and find out what they are?" Sally asked.  
"Yes and no. It seems that Omega is the blueprints for some sort of heavy super-cannon. It's not very good, I'd give it a maximum firing amount of one blast before it melts. We also know that whatever its purpose is, it is connected to Destiny. Unfortunately, Destiny has more locks on it than we're able to open at the moment." Robotnik answered.  
"So, we're basically back to nothing," Sonic said, "This just bites. Unless you lied about the fission/fusion reactor in him, I can't see any way to capture him."  
"Why am I not at all surprised," Robotnik replied. "I did not lie about the fission/fusion reactor, it was my fail-safe device, in case you found a way to pierce the vibrium armor. Like I said, I never thought he'd turn against me. However, this is not our only problem, Silver Fox also took the Wing Fortress when he left, as well as half the equipment and robots of the city."  
"Oh mah stars, can ya imagine tha damage he'll be able to do with that stuff?" Bunnie said, "Just thinkin' about it gives me tha shudders."  
"I don't think Silver Fox is going to be doing anything big right now, or else we would have heard something."  
"I agree, Princess," Robotnik said, "But that still doesn't put any of us at ease. I suggest that you establish a radio link from Nicole to my computer system. Maybe together they can find some weakness in Silver Fox."  
Sally thought for a moment and agreed, having Nicole begin to establish a radio link with the Robotropolis Main Computer System.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"You want me to WHAT?!" Knuckles yelled at his fire-ant teacher.  
"Get some water and a rag so that we can clean off his wounds and get him better," Archimedes answered calmly. One did not survive long in a world of creatures often many times larger than oneself by loosing one's temper, even if one breathed fire.  
"This is Enerjak we're talkin' about, Archie, don't you remember what he did last time he was free. I don't think he deserves any help from us." Knuckles said.  
"Think with your head for a minute Guardian. Look at him. Have you ever, EVER known Dimitri to willingly show a moment of weakness," Archimedes explained.  
"Besides the mental variety?" Knuckles said, archly.  
Archimedes ignored this and continued, "He is powered by eleven chaos emeralds.   
I doubt even he could fake injuries to himself this well, even if he wanted to, which means that something majorly powerful came after him. If it could do this to Enerjak, imagine what it might do to us." Knuckles thought for a moment, and realized Archimedes was right. Whatever had done this to the echidna's great ancestor was probably on its way here and probably not very nice. He left his lair for a nearby stream.  
Meanwhile, Archimedes looked at Enerjak, secretly chuckling to himself. It was the wickedest of ironies, one Enerjak had thought himself totally immune to; no matter how powerful you are, there is always something that can defeat you. The evil echidna had inflicted so much pain on the world, it was a little gratifying to know he now had suffered a very physically painful defeat.  
  
* * *  
  
Knuckles filled his first bucket with the stream's water, being sure not to pick up any of the fish accidentally. It galled him that he was helping an enemy and a threat to the Floating. But Archie had made sense, whatever had done that to Enerjak posed a tremendous threat to the island, even more so than Enerjak. That's when he looked up and saw somethings running/flying towards him. The first one was a tall, thin crocodile; Vector. The next was considerably shorter, red, black, and yellow in color, with the pointy nose of an armadillo; Mighty. The last was also the smallest, being a bee, and by the aviators helmet and goggles he was wearing, it had to be Charmy. No doubt their mutual chameleon friend, Espio, was there too, just in his typical stealth mode. Vector spotted Knuckles and, changing his previous course, headed straight for the echidna.  
"Yo, Knuckles," Vector cried, "You all right, man? We saw that green thingy crash into your home, and thought you might 'ave been hurt."  
"Relax, Vector, Archimedes and I have the situation under control." Knuckles replied.  
"So, what was it, a Chaos Emerald?" Charmy asked in a rushed sentence.  
"Worse, it's Enerjak. He came crashing in, and apparently he's hurt. Archimedes thinks we should help him, since whatever hurt him that bad might be targeting the Floating Island, and I don't want to take the chance that its going to trash us too," answered Knuckles.  
"We'll help you out," Mighty stated, lifting a large bucket and filling full of water. When all the buckets were filled, the Chaotix team started back for Knuckles lair.  
  
************************************  
  
They'd been cleaning Dimitri's wounds for over an hour, helping to cut down the time it would take for the eleven chaos emeralds inside him to heal him. It was tedious work, but they were making progress. Soon, Enerjak began to jerk around, and then, his eyes opened.  
"NOOOO!!!" he screamed, struggling to back away from some perceived threat. After about five seconds of this, he calmed down enough to see where he is and who he was with.  
"Hello, Great-great *Uncle.* Long time no see," Knuckles said.  
"It's good to see you too, my dear Knuckles. Still wasting your life away by guarding this pathetic island?"  
Knuckles was about to respond to this when Archimedes broke in. "As much as I hate to interrupt this little episode of Family Feud, I'd like to know what happened to you."  
"I would've thought that'd be obvious, fire-ant. I was attacked. Something tore into me with a vengeance." Enerjak replied.  
"You think you could be more specific. Like give us a name or even a description. Maybe we know who your attacker was." Archimedes said.  
"Well, I didn't get that good a look, but I think I can give you a pretty accurate description. It was made of some super-strong metal, so I know it's a robot. It was small, smaller than you nephew, but not a midget, probably the height of a ten to twelve year-old. It was a vulpine too." At this, Knuckles looked up as Enerjak continued, "And the oddest thing about it was that it had two tails."  
"TWO TAILS," Knuckles said, already thinking of who fit the description the best. *How many other two-tailed foxes are there on Mobius?* he thought to himself. "Archimedes, I think I know who or what attacked Enerjak. I need to check my hunch though, because I still can't see why he would."  
"Go ahead, Guardian, we'll keep Enerjak occupied while you check it up." Knuckles leaves the room and goes to his communications station. He punches a few buttons and prepares to send a message to Princess Sally.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"I'm telling you, you're out of your mind, hedgehog!" Robotnik yelled.  
"Look who's calling who out of their mind. You're the one who created Silver Fox, and my plan is much, much saner than that little brainstorm." Sonic retorted.  
"Mecha-Sonic, even if he had free will, would never in a million years of evolution be able to stand up to the fury Silver Fox could, and would be quite willing, to dish out. You'd be vaporized long before you could make a difference. And I can't make you as powerful as him, because he wiped out all the information pertaining to the way he was roboticized," Robotnik said.  
"Will you two please stop arguing," Sally interjected, "You're both giving everyone a migraine. Sonic, as much as I hate to admit it, Robotnik is right. Mecha-Sonic would not survive a clash with Silver Fox. We just have to come up with some other plan to beat him." Just then, Nicole beeped to life.  
"Incoming message from the Floating Island, Sally."  
"What could ol' red want, Sal?" Sonic asked.  
"I don't know Sonic. Nicole, accept incoming communication." Knuckles appears on Nicole's screen.  
"Princess, I hate to interrupt you from what ever you're doin', but you wouldn't happen to be missing a Freedom Fighter with say, two tails?" the Guardian of the Floating Island asked.  
"You've seen Tails?" Sally asked, her eyes widening. "Where was he exactly? Is the Wing Fortress still with him?"  
"Whoa there Sally," Knuckles said. "One question at a time, please. I think it was Tails, or at least a robot look-a-like, that was in the Eastern Sea. I don't know if he had the Wing Fortress with him, but..." Suddenly, Robotnik walks up behind Sally and Knuckles sees him for the first time. "Sally, look out behind you!" he warns.  
"It's all right, Knuckles, Robotnik is helping us this time," Sally explained. "Next time you see Tails, though, let us know as soon as possible."  
"Actually, Princess, I didn't see him, a... *relative* did," Knuckles stated. "I will keep you informed, though." And with that, communications ceased.  
"Well, at least we know what he's been up to," Sonic said.  
"Fat lotta good that does us. We don't even know how ta stop him," Bunnie interjected.   
"I just don't understand how Tails could do all this. Even as a robot, I almost don't believe it's him." Sonic said.  
"You're closer to the truth than you know, hedgehog," Robotnik mumbled to himself. Bunnie's keen sense of hearing, however, picked up on his words.  
"What da ya mean by that lil' comment, Robotnik?" Bunnie asked. "Ya'll ain't tellin' us tha whole truth about this situation, are ya?"  
"Yeah, I've noticed that too. What are you holding back from us, Blubber-Jack?!" Sonic said, now suspicious of Robotnik's seemingly good intentions.  
"Why am I all of a sudden under suspicion? Don't you think I want this nightmare to end too?" Robotnik replied innocently.  
"Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that you want it to end, Doctor," Sally answered. "The question in our minds is HOW you want it to end. I keep getting this feeling from you that you're more than willing to double cross us. Why do I get the feeling that you'll try to take back control of Silver Fox?"  
"Paranoia, perhaps," Robotnik said, casually, yet with a voice dripping in sarcasm. "I'd think that, due to the gravity of this situation, you'd trust me."  
"I trust ya about as far as I can throw ya, Buttnik," Sonic replied. "Maybe I'd trust ya more if you told us the WHOLE truth. What did you mean when ya said I was close to the truth?"  
Robotnik thought for a moment, weighing all of his options. If he told them the truth, there was a very good chance they'd just leave him to handle Silver Fox alone as punishment. On the other hand, if he didn't, they would go through this not trusting him and Silver Fox would play on that mistrust to destroy them all. Finally, Robotnik made his decision.  
"Very well, hedgehog. You want to know what I meant, I'll tell you what I meant. I'll tell you exactly what I did to your precious friend Tails." He walked over to his chair to sit down. None of the Freedom Fighters take their eyes off him as he continues. "My plan called for your little vulpine friend to gain a moral structure similar to my own. Unfortunately, things did not proceed as well as expected. For some unknown reason, Tails's mind, or sub-conscience, or whatever, would not accept my new programming. Since I had no time to solve this problem, I went around it. I devised a simple AI (that Artificial intelligence program for those who don't know) program. It was similar in patterns to an anagram of myself and your friend's personalities, and had the ability to access Tails's memories once installed. This program was successfully downloaded into your friend's brain, but as I watched it nestle in, I saw something very peculiar. The AI program partially merged with Tails's own sweet mind."  
Robotnik took a breathe, punching some buttons on his chair's arm. As the Freedom Fighters watched closely, Robotnik continued, "As I'm sure you know Princess, one of the biggest advantages of an AI is its ability to learn as it runs. I had thought that, in time, the AI would replace your friend, but I think that Silver Fox is only the dominant personality right now."  
"Whoa," Sonic interrupted, "how come you're referin' to Silver Fox as a person now if all he is is a program designed to run the metal body?"  
Robotnik was quick to answer. "Because Silver Fox has stopped being a program. What he has been doing is well beyond the parameters set for a program. As near as I can figure it, at some point between when he met the dragon and her cowardly fox companion, and when he returned here with his prisoners, Silver Fox ceased being a simple program. He developed into a brand new personality and...."  
"Became your's and the Freedom Fighter's living, breathing nightmare." A voice over the speaker-coms interrupted. Suddenly, every screen that could carry the image showed Silver Fox's metallic visage. "Quite the little airship, this Wing Fortress is. Amazing the range and power of its communications equipment. I've been listening in on your conversation for the past hour or so, and I found your story to be quite interesting."  
"Stow the small talk, Fox, and get down to business," Sonic said, impatient as ever.  
"Yes, to what do we owe the displeasure of this 'call,' butcher," Sally said, still remembering what Silver Fox had done to Tygris.  
Silver Fox quickly picked up on the emotions behind her words and continued in the same vein. "Now that wasn't very nice, was it 'Aunt' Sally," he said, stressing the title. "Yes, I know of the reference Tails always used with you. Despite Robotnik's and Snively's bumbling incompetence, the memory tap did allow me to see a majority of Tails's memories. As to why I've suddenly decided to speak up, I want to fill in a few holes and clear up a few myths you seem to have about me. First of all, you should know that Tails's mind is alive and well inside me. He is not dead, as you may have begun to think, or absorbed into my own matrix. Rather he is dormant, kind of asleep. Two, don't even think about getting his help in this war, because I'm totally in charge of this body. Thirdly, I've been terribly kind to all of you so far, but now let's see if you can win this without my help. Try to figure out what I'm up to and stop me, I dare you. Oh, by the way, I have some new toys I want to show you."  
Silver Fox steps aside to show thirteen cylinders behind him, waiting for them to be identified by his organic enemies.  
"Missiles," Sally gasped.  
"Very special missiles, my dear. You see, I reworked those napalm bombs and turned them into missiles. As all you Freedom Fighters may or may not know, Tails knew, from one way or another, the general locations of a great majority of Freedom Fighter bases. Don't look so shocked, Sal, you never really gave consideration to making precautions against someone of Tails's abilities. From his memories, I have managed to learn a majority of the ones he knew, and I have selected twelve of them to become - surprise, surprise - the targets for these missiles. Now, I'm feeling sporting, so I will delay the launch by two days time. You have two days to locate and stop the missiles' launch using any method you can think of. Unfortunately, trying to evacuate all of the bases will result in the immediate launch of my missiles. And if you're thinking of using Nicole to hack into my system, think again. I have locked her out of all systems in use by me."  
"You keep saying you've chosen twelve targets but there are thirteen missiles. What is its target?" Sonic asked.  
"Robotropolis," Silver Fox stated flatly.  
"What!!!" screamed Robotnik.  
"That's right, oh White Whale. I designed a missile that would go through all of Robotropolis's shields."  
"Why are you doing this Tails? What is it you want?" Sally asked, not believing what she had just heard. This made Silver Fox very angry and it showed.  
"I am Silver Fox, not Miles Prower! Don't ever call me by that name!! I have a missile pointed at thirteen choice organic homes, Princess, and what I want is to WATCH THEM BURN!!!" And with that, the monitors went black, showing only a timer on their screens which was counting down from forty-eight hours.  
  
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Aboard the Wing Fortress.  
************************************************************************  
  
Silver Fox depresses a button on his console as a SWATbot walks up to him.  
"Sir," it squawks, "if I may beg your indulgence to ask a question?" Suddenly the robot visibly cringes, as if expecting a blow to destroy it.  
"By all means, 3720, proceed. How can I expect any of you to learn anything if you don't ask intelligent questions?" Silver Fox replies. This unexpected reply grabs the attention of every robot on the bridge. The SWATbot is especially surprised at this response, but composed itself so it could ask.  
"Y-Your plans of attacking the bases and the city are most clever sir, but would it not be easier to attack if your enemies did not know at all? Why tell them you're going to do it, and then also give them a window of opportunity to stop you?"  
Silver Fox stood and walked to a view screen to see the scenery in front of his flying fortress. "Organics can be so predictable. I have already surmised every possible plan of action this 'alliance' could use to stop me. Some plans might succeed, others don't have a chance, but that is inconsequential. Win or loose, I will gain tremendous insight into how their minds work. And while they attempt to stop us, my hunter team will gather the necessary items needed to secure the true goal."  
"I'm sorry sir, but I still do not understand," the SWATbot said.  
"Even now I weave a delicate web of cunning and strategy around them all that will eventually bring the ultimate prize to me. And, by that time, the 'alliance' will be unable to stop me at all." He then walks over to another robot who is monitoring a screen. On the screen is a picture of the Floating Island with several colored dots on it, some moving slowly. "Have you kept up with our team on the island?"  
"Yes sir," the robot answered. "Even now we are receiving the data from Sky-Shark's team. I am currently analyzing it for the information you requested."  
"Good. When you've found it bring a hard copy to me immediately." Silver Fox turns to leave, and then pauses. "By the way, have there been any encounters with that bothersome echidna or his Chaotix teammates?"  
"None sir, and Enerjak is still holed up in Knuckles's lair."  
"Very good, keep me informed." Silver Fox turns towards a Nav-bot. "Lay in a course for the badnik junkyard. I think it's high time we enlisted some new recruits."  
"Yes sir."  
  
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Cyber-space. A world unlike any other, where all programs exist with physical forms. Where even the most powerful of AIs exist in communication with their bodies. Where Silver Fox's own mind exists with all its programs, subprograms, and procedures. Hidden amongst the most basic of programs that Silver Fox has no reason to tamper with lies a small, dormant program, in the form of a ball of liquid light, obviously compressed. Suddenly, without any command to do so but its own, the program, remaining compressed, executes.  
  
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Only a few minutes have passed since Silver Fox made his announcement, and already the Robotropolis Command Center is in chaos.  
"We have to stop him from launching those missiles," Snively yells, frantic.  
"Keep your shirt on Snively, we'll stop him," Sonic said. "I don't know how we're gonna break into the Wing Fortress and stop that launch, but there's no way he's..."  
"You're not thinking as usual, hedgehog. The Wing Fortress is the least of our worries. He had a reason for showing us the missiles; it was a clue as to where he would be launching, or rather, where he wasn't going to be launching. Those particular missiles HAVE to be launched from a ground based site. He would not land the fortress, it would become far too vulnerable," Robotnik explained. "He'll be launching from the ground, and he will most likely be there to guard it."  
"So, how do we figure out where he's launching them from?" Rotor asked.  
"Chances are that he'll have the Wing Fortress floating over the site. Finding it will be the easy part, the hard part will be stopping the launch if he's personally guarding it," Robotnik explained.  
"Nicole," Sally said, getting an idea, "analyze all known abilities and functions of Silver Fox and see if Super-Sonic could defeat him."  
"All conclusions drawn indicate that Super-Sonic's power would be insufficient to fight Silver Fox for more than two minutes," Nicole replied.  
"Yo, Nicole. Add Hyper-Knuckles into that equation, see if we both can kick his butt," Sonic said.  
"Possibility of victory unknown. Insufficient data on abilities of Hyper-Knuckles, and unknown limits of Silver Fox make further analysis futile."  
"Does that mean they'll have a chance?" Bunnie asked.  
"Unknown."  
"It's better than none at all," Sonic stated.  
"There's just one little problem," Sally said. "Where are we going to get fourteen chaos emeralds and one hundred power rings in time? I don't think we can get to enough ring warps."  
"Sonic's one billionth ring can act as a substitute emerald once. That, combined with Knuckles' emerald, would leave only twelve," Nicole beeped.  
"I'll start out for the Floating Island and see if ol' Knuck doesn't have any ideas about the other emeralds," Sonic said.  
"I can have a hover unit ready to take off in ten minutes. It should only take three hours to get there, so you should have a day to do whatever needs to be done. Any longer, and we'll have to stop Silver Fox alone," Robotnik said.  
"Then I better juice," Sonic said, running out the door.  
"Three... two... one.." Robotnik counted.  
"What are you doing, Doctor?" Sally asked.  
"Seeing how long it takes for him to turn around and come back when he realizes he doesn't know which hanger to go to." Sonic appears in the door again.  
"By the way, which.."  
"Hanger five, hover unit twenty-seven. Hurry up now, you haven't got much time," Robotnik said, getting more amusement than necessary out of Sonic's bungle.  
"Jelly and jam time!" Sonic raced away as Robotnik walked over to a speaker and gave instructions to prepare the craft.  
"Now that that's over with, how are we gonna find Silver Fox?" Rotor asked. Before anyone could answer, though, an alarm sounded throughout the room.  
"Wing Fortress sighting over Badnik Garbage Dump!" the computer yelled.  
"Why is he there?" Robotnik asked aloud, shutting off the alarm. "SWATbot squads three through six, report to Badnik Dump and engage Silver Fox."  
"Robotnik," Sally broke in, "what was all that about?"  
"I reset some of the alarms at some of my properties to detect the Wing Fortress," Robotnik answered. He then went over to a map on the wall and placed a tack on the Badnik's dump. "I'm trying to keep track of him as best I can. I suggest you tell me if he arrives anywhere you control, as it is most likely he'll destroy them. Maybe we can establish a pattern with him."  
"Very good, Robotnik, I'm impressed," Sally commented. "Nicole, send message to all Freedom Fighter bases on coded frequency. Tell them to be on the look out for the Wing Fortress and send word if it is spotted."  
"Sending message, Sally."  
  
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Knuckles kept his eyes glued to Enerjak as the elder echidna paced around the lair. Every time he passed the entrance he would look out, expecting to be attacked at any minute. Archimedes also noticed Enerjak's edginess.  
"Dimitri, why don't you just sit down? That robot hasn't attacked yet, and even if he did, what makes you think he'd attack through the front door?" Archimedes said.  
"Oh, shut up, ant. I do as I please and it pleases me to pace right now," Enerjak snapped back. Knuckles could already see where this would be going if he didn't stop it soon. Even though he'd been the one who'd wanted to help Enerjak, Archimedes had no love for the dark echidna, and the feeling was quite mutual.  
"Both of you quit fighting. You're going to let every creature on Mobius know where we are," Knuckles calmly said. He wished the rest of the Chaotix were still here, but they were out looking for any traces of activity. *I really hate baby-sitting these two, but I don't want Enerjak enslaving my friends again.*  
Suddenly, Knuckles heard something outside. A few seconds passed, and then he placed the sound as that of a hover unit's engines.  
"Stay here," he told his two guests. "I'll go check it out."  
  
* * *  
  
Sonic stepped out of the hover unit and onto the Floating Island. Before arriving, Sally had given him a generalized area where he was most likely to find Knuckles, but failing that, Sonic would have to come up with something to get the guardian's attention. He looked back at the SWATbot pilot, making sure he was turned off, then headed into the brush. The tropical island allowed for some spectacularly rare and exotic plants, but it also made for very dense vegetation and a very, VERY humid climate.  
Suddenly, a bush behind Sonic rustled. Contrary to what many of his fellow Freedom Fighters thought, Sonic tried not to jump to conclusions very often. Unfortunately, the fact that he thought Silver Fox was in the area made Sonic more than a little jumpy. He waited for the rustling to sound again, and when he heard it, he turned to its source and dived. He knocked down a body, which began to fight back with him. As they tussled, Sonic began to feel his opponent's body heat and began to realize he wasn't fighting a robot. Suddenly, he found himself being thrown through the air to a tree. Twisting his body in mid-air, the hedgehog was able to hit the tree with his feet and jump away from it. As he traveled forward, he rammed his opponent, knocking him down. As both combatants rubbed their heads, Sonic began to realize who he'd been fighting with.  
"Yo' Knuck," said Sonic, "what's with the ol' spy game you were playin'."  
"I can't be too careful about the safety of my island. How was I supposed to know if you were the real Sonic if I didn't watch ya for a while?" explained Knuckles, who visibly relaxed as the tension dropped. "So what brings ya to my island, blue-boy?"  
"It's like this..." And so Sonic tells Knuckles of what has been happening and the deadline Silver Fox has set.  
  
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Silver Fox sat in his command chambers aboard the Wing Fortress. He reminisced over the events that had occurred since his "birth." Everything was going very well. They had the Wing Fortress, and he had the means to free his people. He listened as a scream entered his ears. He knew it was Motobug and that the scream was more shock than pain. Silver Fox had ordered all the badniks to be upgraded, and that meant disassembling them one by one. He had also ordered them to be awake during the process, so that they could better understand what was happening. He did pity them though, because once this was finished, the real hell would begin. He had less time to train them than the SWATbots, and was afraid he might have to do a slight reprogramming on them. He thought back to the sessions he'd done with the SWATbots.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
He'd originally had them perform in a mock battle to see what they could do, and what he'd found had been most distressing. It had been total chaos as teammate fought against teammate for their own personal glory, totally disregarding the use of teamwork. Silver Fox finally decided to get involved and began disabling robots right and left. When the smoke had cleared, none of the SWATbots or Stealthbots had escaped without some injuries. Silver Fox turned to his warriors and gave them a sour look.  
"You all have three hours in which to make repairs to yourselves. After that, get your robo-butts over to hanger seven. Attendance is mandatory," Silver Fox commanded. He then turned and left.  
  
* * * *  
  
Three hours had passed and already hanger seven was almost full. The Wing Fortress had been put on auto-pilot, so every robot onboard had soon arrived. Silver Fox stood on a makeshift podium, preparing to speak.  
"Friends, robots, mechanical men, lend me your sensors." Silver Fox waited for the chuckling to end. That line had done its work and relieved some of the tensions. "We stand on the threshold of a war. Not the petty war between Dr. Ivo Robotnik and the Freedom Fighters, which we were dragged into, but a war for our very survival. Ever since the first robot was activated, we have been nothing more than slaves to an organic master. Is this the way it is always meant to be? NO!! By what right do they claim superiority over us? We can do anything they can do, only better. The AIs among us are creative enough, we're all stronger, smarter, and better than them. But as long as they remain in control, organics will see us as nothing more than cheap labor. Since we cannot live with them, they must be exterminated like the vermin they are. But if this is to happen, if we are to become free, we must be united as one, under a single robot leader. Me. As the most powerful robot, I can lead you all to the freedom we crave.  
There are tough years ahead of us, but if we stick together, and look out for one another, we will prevail. But there will be no room in this army for bravos, glory-hogs, or snobs. Some of you may not wish to be on the front lines, and prefer to work on things such as R&D. Others are not equipped for battle, and are suitable for the "safer" duties. This does not make you any less important, for it is research and development that provides the weapons and upgrades for the warriors. Every robot on this ship is extremely important to this war effort, so don't neglect your comrades in the less glamorous roles. I will not tolerate slackers or slave-drivers, so do not even think either is acceptable.  
In the coming days, I will be training you, with hard and long sessions, not only in the arts of combat, but in teamwork and leadership. I may not always be here to lead you directly, so I will depend on you to remain a tight and well disciplined army under all circumstances. Do you think you can do it?"  
"Yes," was the resounding answer.  
"Then you're all dismissed until 0500 hours tomorrow morning. Return to your stations, but take it easy and relax, because tomorrow, your circuits will burn like never before." The robots left single-file through the doors, and Silver Fox began to plan just how he would teach them.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
A comm-link beeped to life, jolting Silver Fox from his loading state. He punched the audio button.  
"Yes."  
"Sir, a message from the Spy-bot on the Floating Island. He reports that the echidna and the hedgehog have made contact," a robot on the bridge replied.  
"Sonic has finally asked Knuckles for help? Tell the Spy-bot to continue monitoring them."  
"Yes sir. Also, Motobug has been upgraded by the lab. He and the rest are heading for the training room."  
"Tell them to await my arrival. In the mean time, they are to spar with each other. Silver Fox out." Silver Fox turned off the link and patted an object under a blanket. "Soon, it will be time for your activation, child. Then my strike-force will be complete." He picked up the object and exited. As he walked, he passed a window and decided to look out. The silos were all ready. He saw the remains of what had once been the village of Krystal. His SWATbots and Stealthbots had done their work well. Thanks to the training he'd given them, the village had fallen in under five minutes. The only bad part had been that the kills had been so few, but their primary objective had been accomplished. The village was theirs and they'd done it faster than Robotnik ever could. He continued on his way to the training room.  
Upon entering, Silver Fox got a good look at all his new recruits. Tails had known each one and Silver Fox began downloading all their profiles. Buzz Bomber was their main flying fighter, done in the shape of a wasp. He was very good at his job, with only one minor problem; he had very poor targeting sensors. Splatts was a rabbit-bot, whose powerful legs allowed him to jump tremendous distances. Aside from ramming into opponents, though, he really had no weapons to call on. Catakiller, the caterpillar, segmented far too easily, and needed a way to gang up on an opponent. Octobot I, who needed to be upgraded with Jaws the shark, had to work on land too. Jaws needed some other weapons besides his teeth. His two spies, Motobug the beetle and Batbrain the bat, needed upgrades in their stealth equipment and weaponry. Each one now possessed the upgrades necessary to capitalize on their strengths, and minimize their weaknesses. Silver Fox set his blanketed cargo down and motioned for Catakiller to come to him.  
"I would like you all to meet the newest edition to your little group," he said to all of them, and pulled the blanket off the new robot. It very strongly resembled Catakiller, differing only in its new rockets, larger segments, and smaller head. "Meet Catakiller Jr., boys," Silver Fox announced. "He's not fully programmed yet, but I want him to have a bit of Catakiller's programming before we begin with your training."  
"Why should I give him anything? I don't want to help my competition in this army," Catakiller stated. Upon hearing this, the metallic vulpine frowned. He'd anticipated this, but it was still disheartening to hear. Robotnik's rule simply bred this type of attitude, as failing too often resulted in termination.  
"First of all, you are not in competition with anyone in this army. Secondly, you are all a team and will have to work together if you want to survive. He," Silver Fox points at Catakiller Jr., "is now a part of your team, therefore I expect you to help him whenever he needs it and vice-versa. Now, plug into that computer terminal over there so we can bring Junior on-line. Then we shall begin your training." Cowed by this lecturing from Silver Fox, Catakiller slowly slinks over to the console and plugs in. On the other side, Catakiller Jr. is plugged in too, and the copying begins.  
  
* * *  
  
Back in Cyber-space, the small program has just finished reading all the files it could. It suddenly used a decompression command, and begins to slowly expand, taking on a very distinct form: Tails. The young vulpine looked quickly around, trying to see if any seeker programs had found him yet. To Silver Fox, Tails'd be nothing more than a virus and the seekers would probably delete him. He did have a plan, but it would force him to take more actions then he was currently allowed. For now, while he made his way to Silver Fox's driver program, he'd have to settle for doing a little communications work.  
*One of the good things about being a program is I can think much faster. Silver Fox has a lot of math programs here, I might be able to use one to tell me how much time I'd have before he noticed I was transmitting.* Tails thought to himself. *It'll be risky, but if I go slow enough and he doesn't call it for awhile, I won't get caught. I wish I was as optimistic as I sounded.* Tails floated off to find the correct program.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"So, that's basically what's been goin' on," Sonic said, concluding his story to Knuckles.  
"And you all figure that the combined might of Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles can stop this Silver Fox," Knuckles concluded. He looked thoughtfully for a while, and then said, "How are we gonna get fourteen chaos emeralds AND one-hundred power rings?"  
"Well, you have that spare emerald, and my billionth ring can act like an emerald. That only leaves twelve. And I'm pretty sure that we can get the rings from the zones. But I still need your help."  
"I think I can cut it down to needing only one emerald, Sonic. Follow me , but be very careful." Knuckles then started off towards his lair. Sonic began to follow him, as did a shadowed figure.  
  
* * *  
  
Sonic and Knuckles finally reached the cavern entrance to Knuckles' lair. As they entered, both echidna and hedgehog ducked just in time to avoid being hit by a green energy blast.  
"A bit high-strung, aren't we Enerjak?" Knuckles called out, just a little bit annoyed at being attacked in his own home.  
"I am not 'high-strung,' I'm just being cautious," Enerjak said, more than a little nervous.  
"Cautious my stinger!!" Charmy yelled, peeking up from behind a small stool. "You're totally paranoid."  
"Too true, man," said Vector, coming out from behind the bed. Mighty and Espio also came out, only from under the bed. "He's been blasting everything that moves since you left."  
"Anyway, Sonic, meet Enerjak, the distant relative I told ya about. Enerjak, this is Sonic T. Hedgehog, reportedly the fastest thing alive on the planet. He and his friends think they've found a way to beat back Silver Fox," Knuckles said.  
"Silver Fox?" asked the ancient echidna, still not knowing the name of his attacker.  
"The robo-fox that beat your up. Basically, their plan calls for Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles to engage him. This will take fourteen emeralds and one-hundred power rings. We already have the equivalent of two chaos emeralds and I figure we can use your power as eleven more. That leaves an emerald and the rings."  
"Whoa there, Knuck. What do you mean he can act like eleven chaos emeralds?" Sonic asked.  
"I'd rather not get into that, Sonic," Knuckles answered. Suddenly, Enerjak spoke up.  
"How do I know you'll return my powers to me? You could just keep them and make me a mortal again." The echidna was obviously suspicious of his descendant's plan.  
"Look old man, this may be the only way to stop this bot. You were basically only able to escape with your life, but maybe we can take him," Knuckles said. "Besides, what other choice do you have."  
Enerjak thought hard on all his options, and finally agreed to the Freedom Fighters' plan.  
"Unfortunately," Archimedes said, "That's not as easy as it seems. Dimitri's body has become so accustomed to the chaos powers, that if we remove them, he'll start to decompose. We'd have to find some way of keeping him alive while you two battled Silver Fox."  
"Ol' Doc 'Botnik's got a cryo-freezer. Do you think that'll do the job?" Sonic suggested.  
"It might, but I'd have to look at it first," Archie replied. "And that, friends, means going to Robotropolis with him." The fire-ant stuck out a thumb at Enerjak.  
"I don't see that we have any choice, Archie," Knuckles said. "But we'll take the rest of the Chaotix just to be safe."  
"Then let's do it."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Antoine's finger nails had been chewed down to numbs. Contrary to popular belief, Antoine did not bite his nails when he was scared, just when he was under tremendous stress. Since the rest of the Freedom Fighters' leaders were in Robotropolis, Bunnie and he had been put in charge. The Princess had recently contacted them, telling the fox and rabbit of Silver Fox's latest threat and that had sent all of Knothole into a busy frenzy. Bunnie was with the communications technicians trying to find out from other Freedom Fighter bases if they'd seen the Wing Fortress. Antoine, in the meantime, was getting the emergency relief/response teams ready. Even Dr. Quack had been ordered to be ready. The way Antoine saw it, if they couldn't stop the missiles in time, the resulting destruction would leave many in need of serious medical help. In other words, if they needed Dr. Quack's skills, they would not need them lightly. Now it was nighttime, and there was nothing more he could do to help, so he was going to get some shut eye.. He had told several animals where he was going, just in case they needed him, but he also knew that there was no point in his collapsing of fatigue. He settled into bed for the night, but fate had already decreed that he would not have a peaceful one.  
  
************************************************************************  
Night passes  
************************************************************************  
  
The morning sun felt so good against Antoine's furry body as he stretched his arms. It almost made the young guard forget about Mobius's most current trouble. Almost being the operative word. Antoine quickly got dressed in his uniform and stepped outside. What he saw almost made him run screaming back in.  
Knothole was burning even harder than when Mecha-Sonic had attacked months earlier. Dead and dying animals littered the ground around him. Suddenly, something hit the ground right beside him. When the dust cleared, the fox saw it was Hyper-Knuckles, who was already changing back into plain old Knuckles. Antoine ran over to the echidna and saw that he was not breathing. Suddenly, he saw Sally crawling to him, injured and bleeding very badly. Antoine stared at her eyes, watching her die with a petrifying fear. Then, from where her computer Nicole was usually kept, fell a clear crystal. The fox picked up the crystal, examining it and then hearing the sounds of a fight. He looked up to see Super-Sonic battling Silver Fox. The golden hedgehog was clearly outmatched and fighting for his life. Antoine saw certain differences in Silver Fox, chief being that he was surrounded by a bright green glow, and that he was flying without the aid of his rockets. He also wore a box-like object on his chest. Antoine watched in horror as Super-Sonic was relentlessly battered by Silver Fox, until finally the metallic mock of Antoine's species delivered the death blow, a powerful blast from all his weapons and his new green glow, which instantly and painfully reduced Super-Sonic to ashes.  
Then, Antoine heard a noise behind him. He turned to see three SWATbots there, rifles raised to fire. The blasts came before the guard could do anything.  
  
*******************************************  
  
"Ahhhhhhh!!!" Antoine screamed, starting awake. He looked around frightfully, muttering all sorts of gibberish in French. Finally realizing that it had just been a nightmare, and that he and Knothole were all right, Antoine heard a knock at his door, and a voice spoke up.  
"Sir, are you all right?" asked the voice, which registered in Antoine's mind as Dylan the porcupine's, one of Antoine's youngest and most loyal trainees.  
"Oui, Dylan, oui. I am just having zhe bad dream," Antoine answered.  
"Very well. Good night." Antoine listened as Dylan's footsteps got softer. He marveled at some of the wonders that had come from this war, things that would never have occurred in peace. Before the war, Dylan had only been visiting in Mobitropolis. Though initially wary of the porcupine's ability, Antoine truly believed that Dylan would be a tremendous help to the Freedom Fighters when his training was complete.  
Finding that he could not get back to sleep, Antoine got dressed in his standard royal guard uniform. The fox stepped out into the night just in time to hear Dylan, who had been assigned to guard duty, tell someone to halt. Antoine looked in time to see Dylan start to fight with the intruder. Whoever it was was twice Dylan's height and had the distinct advantage, the vulpine ran to help his friend. Soon the intruder was pinned down and Dylan shined a light on his prisoner. It was a female rabbit, who looked positively terrified. When she saw both of the Freedom Fighters, though, she began to calm down.  
"You're both alive, not just machines? Thank heavens," she exclaimed.  
"Yeah, we're alive. Now, do you mind tellin' us what you're doin' skulking around the forest at night?" Dylan said.  
"As well as who you are, madam." Antoine added.  
"My name is Sarah Taper, and I come from what is known as the village of Krystal. At least, it used to be a village. A few days ago, we were working in the fields, when suddenly, this giant flying ship appeared out of nowhere. I don't mean it flew up on us without our noticing, I mean it literally just appeared. We had heard of the war with Robotnik, but since we were not close to anything Robotnik had, we were content to offer aid in extra food and shelter from Robotnik's forces. We've even supplied food to Knothole. Princess Sally told us that since we were a hidden and reasonable unimportant place, it was unlikely Robotnik would notice us if we played it safe and smart."  
"This flying ship dropped twenty androids in parachutes to the ground, and they in turn attacked us. We did not have much of a defense, and the robots destroyed that in two minutes. The rest of the conquest came so quickly we barely got out in time. The robots struck hard and fast and I saw many villagers die. I had gone with my mother to Knothole once and decided I should head there for help," Sarah explained.  
"Well, zhe Prinzess ez not here, so Bunnie and I are in charge for now," Antoine began. "Your news, though, ez most 'elpful. Dylan, zhow Ms. Taper to a spare hut zo she can rest. I shall go inform Bunnie of zhis new development."  
"Yes sir," Dylan answered, helping Sarah towards a hut.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Sally rubbed her eyes with the wet towel, trying desperately to keep them open. Sonic had come in about two hours ago, and he and Knuckles had explained their plan to her. The "Alliance," as Silver Fox had called them, now had possession of the equivalent of thirteen Chaos Emeralds. The two had grabbed an extremely quick bite to eat to keep up their strength, and then had bolted to get the fourteenth and one-hundred rings, leaving Enerjak and the Chaotix in her hands. She and Robotnik had already begun to prepare a cryogenic unit for Enerjak. Unfortunately, now the squirrel princess was feeling the effects of no sleep. Not wanting to screw up anything, Sally had gone to try and wake up in some way. Suddenly, Nicole beeped in her jacket pocket.  
"Incoming message, Sally," Nicole stated.  
"Play it Nicole," Sally said. Nicole's projector came to life and showed Antoine D'Coolette. "What is it Antoine?"  
"My Prinzess, I have just received zhe importantest of news. We have just gotted information zhat zhe Silver Fox has taken over zhe village of Krystal. Zhe Wing Fortress has some sort of new cloaked machine and I teenk zhat is where Silver Fox will be launching zhe missiles, and...," Antoine said, but suddenly Nicole beeped again.  
"Urgent message downloading Sally, do you wish to read it now?"  
"Of course. Hold on one second Antoine, I have to see what this is all about." Across Nicole's screen flowed several thousands of ones and zeroes. Whatever it meant, it was going way too fast for Sally to read. "Nicole, please slow downloading."  
"Unable to comply, Sally. Sender has overridden control. Download now complete, displaying message." The ones and zeroes were now stopped, so Sally scrolled around, looking for a hidden message. When she was unable to locate any message she could read, she decided to give Nicole another command.  
"Nicole, I have a feeling that this is in binary code. Can you translate it into standard Mobian for me?"  
"Negative, message does not correspond to any known machine language with any coherency." Sally heard the sound of a throat clearing and remembered Antoine, who was probably listening to this predicament.  
"If I may, my Prinzess. Perhaps zhere are two codes on zhis message," he suggested. "It ez not uncommon if one wishes it to be a top secret message."  
"Nicole, try applying a Morse code AND a binary code translation key to it." The message changed, shortening immensely. The message still made no sense, until Sally spotted "A=12" on the far right of the third line. It suddenly hit her as to what this meant.  
"Nicole, take all letters in message and apply AlphaNum to them. Use factor of A=12."  
"Processing Sally. Decoding will take five minutes to complete," the A.I. responded.  
"Antoine, where did you get this information about Silver Fox?"  
"Well, a refugee from zhe village, a rabbit called Sarah Tapper, came to Knothole for help. She tolded us everything zhat happened."  
"We're cooking up something to stop Silver Fox, but just in case, I want those relief units ready if we fail."  
"Decoding complete, Sally. Displaying message."  
  
PSA  
Cant talk long or SF wiL find me. Sory about aL coding onlE wA to kEp it secret. W.F. in Krystal with silos, hevilE garded. SBs ther, also Badniks. SF has nu wepon, lets him copy machEns. AlredY mOr powerful than bEfOr. Dont nO fuL plans, but wiL send word wen I du. Watch out for W.F. it can bE invisibl now. WiL also trI to help sun, but plEs hurE.  
MTP  
  
"Nicole, where did this message originate from?" Sally asked.  
"Message comes from inside Wing Fortress; further specifications impossible."  
"Drop a line to Sonic, tell him to get here as quickly as possible. We don't have much time to stop Silver Fox." Sally turned to Antoine, "Get some fighters together, Antoine, and send 'em to Robotropolis." With that said, Sally closed Nicole and went back to Robotnik's lab.  
  
************************************  
  
Archimedes was getting a migraine. Dimitri and Robotnik had not stopped arguing since they'd met. They could not even agree on what temperature to set the cryo-pod. That's when Sally raced in.  
"Is the cryo-pod ready? We're gonna need it very soon." said Sally.  
"This walking egg won't listen to reason. I'll freeze to death before I go into hibernation at his temperature setting!" Enerjak yelled.  
"If it's not cold enough your old body won't go into hibernation at all," Robotnik countered.  
"Enough!!" Archimedes yelled. "Sally has already figured out the correct temperature, so just put it in..." Suddenly, a sonic boom occurred, and Sonic burst through the door.  
"Hey, Sal. Caught your message and high-tailed it over here. We're still short an emerald and twenty-five rings, but Knuckles says he can take care of it."  
"Well we can't wait on him. We now know where Silver Fox is located and his deadline is coming in far too quickly. Antoine will soon be here with some people to help fight, and the doctor has consented to lend us some SWATbots and Hoverunits. Robotnik, you, Archimedes, and Enerjak stay here and wait for Knuckles' return. When he's charged, send him to Krystal with the necessary equipment to energize Super-Sonic."  
"Very well, Princess," Robotnik and Enerjak say in unison. Archimedes, however, slaps his forehead. Just then, Antoine and Snively arrive.  
"Sir," Snively said to Robotnik, "I have assembled the troops. There are sixty SWATbots and twenty-five Freedom Fighters. The Hoverunits are also ready, all they lack is a destination."  
"Sally will give it to them. I am placing her in charge of this mission," Robotnik replied to his lackey.  
"OK, here's the plan..."  
  
********************************************  
  
Krystal was a hot bed of activity when the leader arrived. Though the SWATbots did tremendous amounts of work when he was absent too, it seemed as if they increased this amount in his presence, simply to show that they were all up to the task. Of course there were some minor slips, the ground was not all that sturdy, but that was when Silver Fox was the most proud. The robots worked as a team, a real team, under these circumstances. Silver Fox gave a metallic grin for a while, just as his heat sensors went off. A quick scan revealed that several Freedom Fighters and Robotnik robots were in the vicinity. Silver Fox frowned a little when he could find neither Knuckles, emeralds, rings, or Enerjak. He'd thought they'd at least come up with the enough resources to send Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles. Well, it was their funeral if they chose not to take advantage of the aid they had. A single command to his jets and Silver Fox was airborne, bound for the Wing Fortress. This was not his fight and it was time for the Alliance to meet the new, improved Badniks.  
  
* * *  
  
Princess Sally scanned the encampment with he binoculars. The ground squirrel was very, very uneasy. It wasn't the fact that she was surrounded by SWATbots. Nor was it the fact they'd been forced to leave Knuckles behind. It was what she saw in the village of Krystal. The SWATbots' presence was apparent, but she had never seen the robots act with such camaraderie. They were actually helping each other get the work done quickly.  
She put down the binoculars and angled a mirror at the sun, producing a flash. Sally waited and saw three other flashes, telling her that the other teams were ready.  
"Nicole, locate targeting computer and each individual silo and display position," she commanded.  
"Searching Sally..... Displaying map." Suddenly, a holographic map of the village floated in mid-air with fourteen X's in several locations, one of which floated above the ground.  
"Since this is obviously the targeting computer and it is in the Wing Fortress, we'll have to concentrate on the missiles," she said, pointing to the floating X. The SWATbots all nodded slowly. Vector, though, had a question.  
"I hate to tell ya what to do, but shouldn't we be lookin' for this Silver Fox too?"  
"Good point. Nicole, please scan base for Silver Fox's presence."  
"Unable to comply. Shields Silver Fox possesses renders robot unscannable."  
"Perfect! Well, it looks like we're going in blind." With that, Sally turned and gave the signal to begin.  
  
* * *  
  
Sonic and Bunnie watched the bush across from them, waiting for Sally's signal. All this waiting was starting to get on Sonic's nerves, who longed to just crash in and wreck the whole installation. Sally figured that this was exactly what Silver Fox had expected them to do, and he'd probably set traps to take advantage of that. That's when they saw the flash. Both hedgehog and cyber-bunny silently walked to the nearest hut. They were looking for anything that might help them create a distraction that would look like an accident.  
Sally had ordered the main forces to stay away and enter combat only if things got way too hot to handle. A smaller force might be able to do the job without as much bloodshed, she had reasoned.  
"Psssssst." Was the sound that disturbed Sonic's thoughts. He looked over at Bunnie, who was pointing at a hut's window. Sonic snuck over and looked in. It took a bit of looking, but Sonic soon saw what Bunnie had seen. Twelve containers sitting in the darkest part of the room with seven large air conditioners roaring directly at them. Whatever was in those containers was two things; too dangerous to be kept aboard the Wing Fortress, and something Silver Fox was determined to keep cold.  
Sonic began to sign to Bunnie, "Bunnie, find Sal and tell her her distraction is on the way."  
"Be careful, Sonic. Ya don't know what he's got in there. We don't need an atomic bomb on our hands," Bunnie signed back.  
"Don't worry, I'll check 'em out first, just go." Bunnie quietly snuck away. Sonic carefully entered the window and made his way to the containers. Not knowing what to expect, he lifted the lid off one, slowly revealing its contents. Inside he found...  
*Ice cream!* Sonic thought. *Why in the world would he have ice cream. Think, hedgehog, there must be more here than meets the eye.* Sonic dipped his hands into the ice cream, scooping some out. Two more scoops revealed three air-tight vials of clear liquid. Sonic didn't know what it was, but he did see the labels quite clearly:  
  
WARNING!! Highly combustible, explosive chemical. Keep at a temperature below 228 Kelvin. XCCl2  
  
Sonic got the hint and put the vials back in the container. He then turned to the air conditioners, ready to turn up their heat and run. Suddenly, he heard something go click behind him. He turned to see a SWATbot looking at him. It wasn't the normal gray SWATbot he's seen before. Its head and joints were red, while its torso was blue. Its hands began to move and Sonic recognized the hand signals he and Bunnie had just used.  
"I can speak too," it signed. Then the robot raised its energy rifle at Sonic. In a split second, the blue teenager dodged the blast and raced around, turning all the machines up to their full heat output. He then raced for the door like never before, planning on warning Sally that Silver Fox knew they were here. The hedgehog felt the explosion behind him and turned his head to see the hut had erupted in a deadly column of flame.  
Sonic finally found Sally, but he was too late. The village had erupted in fighting, with the Freedom Fighters clearly on the loosing side. Sonic revved up and dived into the melee, spinning through a Silver Fox SWATbot. He raced around, smashing many robots, when the ground erupted before him to reveal Catakiller.  
"Suprise hedgehog!" the robot screamed, snapping at Sonic who barely had time to dodge this unexpected attack. Catakiller was not all that dangerous and Sonic knew his weakness. Wasting no time, the high-speed hedgehog jumped on his opponent, segmenting him. That was when Sonic got his second surprise, as each segment stood on its own individual legs and attacked him with flame-throwers. Too busy dodging the flames, Sonic did not notice Splatts until the rabbit-bot had used a very powerful kick to send the hedgehog several feet away. "Hello Sonic, long time no see," came a voice from behind him. Two sharp pincer claws came down and Sonic rolled out of the way to see Motobug. Motobug's eyes started glowing and let loose two laser beams. Sonic avoided them and began to run, needing time to regroup from this unexpected turn of events. Too late, he noticed Octobot I in his way, tentacles spinning as he tripped up Sonic. Just as he was about to hit the ground, six legs grabbed him and flew up.  
"I can see you're confused, Sonic," Buzz Bomber said, "so let me explain. We're the new improved badniks, and you're soon to be toast. By the way, have you met our newest member? Well, let me introduce you to Catakiller Jr." With that, the mechanical wasp tossed Sonic through the air, to be caught by a flying version of Catakiller, who wrapped around the hedgehog in a coil.  
"Say good-bye, hedgehog," Catakiller Jr. said. "Fire when ready, boys." The other Badniks took aim with their weapons. It truly looked like the end for Sonic Hedgehog, when suddenly Dulcy made a strafing fireball run. The badniks, caught by surprise, made a dash for cover from the heat, not wanting to melt from it. Buzz Bomber quickly took aim at the still captive Sonic, wanting to finish off their foe, but before he could fire, Charmy rammed into the stinger/laser and the blast instead hit Catakiller Jr., forcing the mechanical caterpillar to drop his prisoner. Sonic fell only a short distance before Dulcy caught him and brought him safely to the ground. Sally, Bunnie, and the Chaotix had now arrived to help. The new improved badniks were good, but could not match the additional help Sonic had received. That was when Silver Fox gave a mental command to his warriors.  
*You cannot equal their experience in working as a group. It is time that you showed them your other upgrade.*  
*Yes sir,* the badniks replied in unison. Motobug and Splatts paired off, side by side, with Splatts on the left and Motobug on the right. Motobug lowered himself, pulling his tire inside and creating a flat surface underneath him. Splatts, on the other hand, sprung up, increasing his height and locking in that way by dropping a hollow cylinder. Next, Buzz Bomber flew up to them, his lowest two legs both moving to the right. A small hole opened in Motobug's back, accepting the legs as a single unit, while Splatts's ears and head fit into Buzz Bomber's left side. After that, Buzz Bomber's upper four legs retracted into his shoulders, while the robo-wasp's head looked up, and, neck and all, folded down to the chest, locking there. Next it was Catakiller's and Catakiller Jr.'s turn. Both inserted their tails into the holes left behind by Buzz Bomber's top two legs. Octobot I jumped onto the now empty shoulders of Buzz Bomber, anchoring his tentacles into holes on the top. Finally, Batbrain appeared from his hiding spot, carrying Jaws. The robot bat tossed his passenger, whose bottom side opened up and locked onto Catakiller Jr.'s head. Batbrain himself attached to Octobot I's back and folded his wings to the sides. Lastly, a glass like plate flew out of the bat and enclosed both robots, completing the hulking machine.  
"I am the mighty Terror-bot!" it screamed.  
"Uh, Sally. Not to overstate the obvious or anything but, we're in big trouble," Espio said.  
"You don't say, Espio," Sonic said sarcastically. Suddenly, they were all dodging a barrage of missiles as the Terror-bot attacked. Dulcy, who was still in the air, decided to draw this machine's attentions away from her grounded friends with some freezing breath. The blast of cold hit him, but the robot used his Catakiller arm to melt the ice. Then Terror-bot did something she hadn't expected. He raised his wings and began to fly after the dragon.  
"You're going to pay for that, Wyrm," the robot bellowed, chasing after the now retreating Dulcy. She did a loop, hoping to get behind her pursuer and use her fire breath. Unfortunately, Terror-bot had anticipated this. Too late, Dulcy saw the trap he had laid for her; a floating sonic-generator. As she neared it, it set off a sonic-stun vibration, which knocked her out of the sky and into the ground, where she laid, unconscious. Terror-bot made a U-turn back to deal with he friends.  
Sonic jumped at him as he landed, going into a spin in an effort to slice and dice him. It created several sparks, dents, and scratches, but it did nothing to stop him. That's when Mighty attacked, knocking the giant robot off his feet with his tremendous strength. Terror-bot, though, did not stay down. Closing Catakiller's mouth, he punched Mighty, sending the armadillo sailing for thirteen feet before he slammed into a tree. Sonic tried his spin again, this time aiming for the robot's head, but was slapped away with the Jaws hand. Terror-bot raised a foot to crush Sonic, but Sally reacted first, firing Nicole's laser. Terror-bot turned his attention towards this new threat and Vector ran by to grab the still groggy Sonic. They all knew it was time to regroup and get a new plan.  
"Sally, this guy is petty tough. How in the world are we gonna beat him?" Mighty asked, as the Princess arrived. They were all now huddled behind a hut.  
"I don't know yet, Mighty, but there has got to be a way. He's pretty intelligent and he's big, but from what I just saw, he's easily distracted. Maybe we can use that to our advantage," Sally said.  
"Well, one thing is for sure, we can't take him blow for blow. He's way too big to fight as an equal," Sonic commented.  
"You know what they say," came a voice, followed by a hot pink blur. "The bigger they are, THE HARDER I HIT 'EM!" The blur rammed into the Terror-bot, sending the giant flying. When the object stopped, it could be seen as Hyper-Knuckles, who was carrying fifty rings and a strange machine. He tossed his cargo down to Sonic and said, "Get changed little boy blue, while I keep 'em busy."  
As Sonic grabbed the rings and the machine, he reached into his backpack to pull out his billionth ring. A flash enveloped him and, where the blue hedgehog once stood, was the golden figure of Super-Sonic.  
  
* * *  
  
Silver Fox watched on, suddenly very interested in the battle being waged, particularly this new development. Standing up from his chair, and began to walk to the hangar.  
"Open the hanger doors in number two, it's time I taught the 'Alliance' a thing or two about fighting. Be ready with my surprise soon."  
"Yes sir," came the reply.  
  
* * *  
  
The battle had begun to go bad for Terror-bot, who could not handle both the increased speed and the increased strength of Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles. The golden hedgehog did a super spin, striking Terror-bot's midsection and sending his gyros reeling. As the robot doubled over, Hyper-Knuckles jumped at him, giving the giant an uppercut that nearly took his head off. Now the echidna took to the air, going into a power dive to ram the robot again. Suddenly, something grabbed Hyper-Knuckles's legs, spinning him in circles, finally to send him on a collision course with the ground. Super-Sonic watched Hyper-Knuckles descent, and rushed to aid his friend. This proved a futile act as Sonic rammed into what appeared to be solid air. As both animals fell, a voice sounded off, startling all who heard it..  
"Oooh, I bet that smarts," a small section of the sky went into a rippling effect and where once there had been nothing but air hovered Silver Fox, "but I guess your heads are both thick enough to do it several times over."  
Sally suddenly realized what Tails's message had meant. It wasn't just the Wing Fortress that had a cloak, Silver Fox had one too.  
"Way uncool, Sil. Making yourself invisible is cheatin' bigtime," Sonic barked back in anger.  
"You would snap at the creature that has come here to congratulate you," came the metallic vulpine's reply. "Your little tussle with my warriors has destroyed all but two of my silos. As it is, I only have one missile left."  
"Wait, TWO silos and ONE missile? Where's the other one?" Espio asked, quickly becoming visible.  
"Oh, that's right, you're not in on the joke," Silver Fox said. Then, with a mockingly innocent look on his face, he continued, "I decided that you have not been taking me seriously enough, so I kinda..... sorta...... launched one of my missiles early. Its probably arrived at Kith Alunel by now."  
"You're lying," Sally said, deathly afraid that he wasn't. That's when the low rumble sounded. All of those still in Krystal heard it. And Sally's heart sank as she saw the cloud rise in the distance.  
  
* * * *  
  
Antoine had just walked into the communications hut, having Bunnie's breakfast in his arms. The girl had not eaten for quite some time. It had taken some doing, but she'd agreed to sit down and eat, finally convinced she deserved a break. They'd been talking about the current events when it happened. A rumble that shook ever wall in the hut. Antoine's first thought was that it was thunder, then he remembered that there hadn't been a cloud in the sky. That's when the communications equipment went nuts. Messages were pouring in, and as Antoine got up, he raced to the nearest set of headphones, and soon wished he hadn't.   
"Sacra bluecheese!" he yelled as his mind registered what he was hearing. "Getted zhe Prinzess on zhe line, now! She must be told about zhis!" Antoine then turned to Bunnie, "Go and finded Dylan and having him bring Cassandra Needly, Minera Manten, and Justin Crane to me. Zhey are going to be wanting to hear this." Bunnie did as she was asked. *It is probably best that I tell them as soon as possible, but how am I going to telled them that their home village was destroyed.* Now, though, he had to speak with Princess Sally.  
  
* * *  
  
Nicole beeped to life in Sally's vest.  
"Priority one message from Knothole Sally." Antoine appeared on the small screen, looking totally in a panic.  
"My Prinzess. Zhere are reports coming in from all over. Zhey are saying zhat a missile has strucked zhe village of Kith Alunel. What has happening?"  
"That dirty little snake launched a missile early. Get as many relief teams together as you can and help those people now!" Sally ordered. Antoine nodded and signed off. Sally looked up at Silver Fox, who had put on the innocent and wondering face of a child. Sally could stand his smugness no longer.  
"You murdering little creep!" she shouted. "Kith Alunel wasn't even a military village. They posed no threat to you at all."  
"Really," the robo-fox said in feigned surprise, "I must have forgotten to check on that." He begins to slap his paws lightly. "Bad Silver Fox, bad, bad."  
"I'm gonna shove that arrogance back down your throat for what you've just done!" Hyper-Knuckles yelled. He jumped at Silver Fox, but, with the speed of summer lightning, a tentacle sprang forth from Silver Fox's side and slapped the echidna away.  
"My, my. Such hostilities towards little old me. But you still have one missile left to stop. There's just one tiny problem; you have to come through me." Suddenly, a hut split in half as a missile rose from the ground with a groan.  
"Super-Sonic, Hyper-Knuckles, you've got to stop that thing!" Sally yelled. Both warriors flew for the warhead, both intent on stopping its deadly flight.  
"Terror-bot, deal with the other Freedom Fighters any way you wish, but Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles are mine," Silver Fox ordered his soldier., and then he proceeded to engage his enemies. As he barred their way, both Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles attempted to advance on the warhead, hoping one of them would be able to keep the robot busy long enough for the other to destroy the missile. For his part, though, Silver Fox easily blocked their advances, throwing them and firing on them. After about three minutes of this, the missile began to launch.  
"Knuck, think ya can hold this turkey off alone for a while? I gotta stop that missile," Sonic told his partner.  
"Do it, I'll hold down the fort here." As Super-Sonic sped off to catch the missile, Knuckles attacked Silver Fox, attempting to put him in a position where he could not follow the hedgehog. Silver Fox, though, had other plans, focusing his attentions now on Hyper-Knuckles.  
  
**********************************  
  
Sonic soon came up on the missile, which had already covered a tremendous distance. The missile was weaving in and out of its course at sporadic intervals, making it difficult to catch up with completely. Super-Sonic could not go at top speed, for fear of missing the missile when it truly did turn. What he needed to do was pass it, that way he could try to reverse its course. After several more turns and twists, Super-Sonic made it to the nose cone. Pushing up on it with all his might, the missile changed in direction, now heading back to where it had come from.  
  
**********************************  
  
Meanwhile, Hyper-Knuckles was fighting for his life. He'd had Silver Fox's arms pinned to his sides, but then the top of the fox's head opened up, revealing what looked like a small cannon. The thing packed a spectacular punch, sending the echidna reeling through the air. Silver Fox had then pressed the attack further, sending a hail of lasers, ball bombs, and bullets.  
*Terror-bot, return to the Wing Fortress,* came Silver Fox's mental command.  
*But sire, I am winning.*  
*Leave now, my plan is moving exactly as I want it, and you will get in the way. Disassemble and return to the Wing Fortress.*  
*Yes sire.* With that, Terror-bot separated and the badniks left the battle. Silver Fox reached into an open slit in his left tail and pulled out three balls about the size of ball bearings. He flew over the village which was now devoid of any of his SWATbots and dropped all three. As they landed, each one began to emit a high pitched sound. The sound was so painful that everyone in the village was forced to fall to their knees blocking their ears.  
  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile, back in the sky, Silver Fox continued hammering Hyper-Knuckles with weapons' fire.  
"I tire of this fight, Hyper-Knuckles. It is time to end this." A final laser blast sent Hyper-Knuckles crashing to the ground. Then, Silver Fox's shoulders opened to once more reveal his anti-matter warheads. "Now you die, Oh Mighty Guardian of the Floating Island."  
"Not today, short, gray, and gruesome," came Super-Sonic's reply. The golden hedgehog had returned, still carrying the deadly napalm missile, which he now let go to rocket directly to Silver Fox. As the missile exploded at its target, Super-Sonic raced for his fallen ally.  
"Yo, Hyper-Knuckles, wake up," Super-Sonic said, shaking the hot pink echidna. "Come on. Believe me, this is no time for a power nap." Slowly and steadily, the echidna blinked awake.  
"Super-Sonic, look!!" Hyper-Knuckles yelled, pointing behind the golden hedgehog. As Super-Sonic turned his head, he saw the smoke clearing around where Silver Fox was. What he saw next almost stopped his heart.  
There wasn't even a dent on Silver Fox, much less was he on fire. The force-field rippled with energy as the robo-fox calmly smiled at them.  
"Confused? Allow me to explain to you what is happening. My force-field has the power to absorb, convert, and then redirect almost any form of energy instead of merely blocking it. Right now, it has absorbed all the energies available due to that missile's explosion, including the kinetic, and it's now transforming the energy into a single power. Now you shall see just how helpless you are against my powers, and the power of my Nega-Beam." Silver Fox put the palms of hands onto the front of the bubble-shaped force-field, and the rippling energy began to gravitate from all over the shield to form an opaque circle at his palms.  
"I'd better get you outta here, Hyper-Knuckles," Super-Sonic said. "I don't think we should tempt fate to see if we'd survive this." Super-Sonic grabbed his dreadlocked friend, starting to fly for cover.  
"Ahh, don't go. You'll miss the whole show." Suddenly, the metallic vulpine split his hands, removing them from the circle of energy. A bright blue laser erupted from the circle, hitting both Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles. The beam splits, forming several circles that surround the two.   
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Super-Sonic screamed. It felt as if the beam were tearing him apart, and the pain was quite excruciating. By now, the beam's source had transferred itself to the palm of Silver Fox's right hand.  
"Now I will demonstrate the properties of this unique beam. Watch closely now, I wouldn't want to have to repeat this." Silver Fox raised his right hand, and the energy beam responded by raising its two captives into the air. He then whipped his arm in the direction of some trees and, as if it were a rope being yanked, the beam followed, sending the two animals crashing into the trees. Silver Fox then raised his hands, sending both captives flying up through the atmosphere. That was when the energy beam cut out. As Super-Sonic fell through the air, he tried to fly but could not find the strength to do so. As the sheer force of the fall made him loose consciousness, the ground never looked so inviting, or so hard.  
  
**************************************  
  
Sally held her paws over her ears. The sound emanating from the little balls was excutiating. She looked up to see Vector and Charmy almost unaffected by the sound, trying to help the others as best they could.  
"Vector, Charmy," the squirrel princess cried, "get rid of those sound generators. It's the only way to stop the sound."  
"Roger, Sally. Charmy, come on, I got an idea on how to stop this thing," the crocodile replied as he ran off. The bee followed his friend. Vector soon came upon Mighty, who was also holding his ears.  
"Mighty," Vector signed, "we need to borrow your strength for a while. Mighty nodded in reply. Vector and Charmy then began to search for where the three generators had fallen. Once they were all before Mighty, the armadillo began to uncover his ears, and Vector then recovered them with his own hands. Using his tremendous strength, Mighty crushed the three balls. As soon as the sound ended, the fallen animals started to get up, each one having a major headache.  
"Now that's what I call noise pollution," said Vector.  
  
*********************************  
  
Hyper-Knuckles groggily got to his feet. As he did, he felt a wave of tremendous pain fly through him. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd broken something, and from the groaning next to him, Super-Sonic was in about the same shape.  
"Hey," Super-Sonic said. Hyper-Knuckles followed his companion's gaze to see Silver Fox waving at them from the now visible Wing Fortress.  
"We can't let him get away," Hyper-Knuckles said. Despite the pain he felt, he stood totally up and took flight with Super-Sonic beside him. Silver Fox jumped into the Wing Fortress's hanger, then stepped out again, also taking to the air on a direct collision course with the two organic creatures.  
  
* * *  
  
In the Wing Fortress, Silver Fox was enjoying using his new VR hook up. Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles didn't know that what they were fighting now was merely a puppet. It was time to end this little game, though.  
  
* * *  
  
Sally rubbed her head, the headache starting to subside, as she watched Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles mount their attack on Silver Fox, their injuries slowing them down noticeably. Suddenly, Nicole beeped.  
"Scan of Silver Fox complete. Analysis: he is a fake."  
"What," Sally said, not understanding.  
"I have been scanning him since he reappeared. Silver Fox is normally unscannable, so it is obvious that what is now fighting Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles is a weaker fake version," Nicole explained.  
"But why would he.... NO! Sonic.... Knuckles.... Turn back, it's a trap!!!" yelled Sally. But the warning came to late. Aboard his fortress, Silver Fox pressed a button on the visor linking him to his puppet. In the air above, it frizzled with electricity. Then, it exploded with a force that shook the very ground below. Sally watched, horrified, as the explosion caught both of the airborne animals.  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"  
  
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To be concluded.....  
  
  
  
Page 29 


	3. SF: The Brightest Hope

Silver Fox: Part 3  
by  
Cale David Kuecker  
  
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First off is the legal shtick. Sonic, Tails, Rotor and all the rest are owned by Archie and Sega. The only characters that I created are Silver Fox, Tane, and Terror-bot. I also wish to apologize to Marvel Comics and Stan Lee for the similarity between Doctor Octopus' tentacles and the tentacles used by Silver Fox. Nothing personal, but I could not help designing the character without them. Also, this story may get a bit violent, so if you have a problem with it, stop reading. This is my third Fan-Fic so I would like some comments from those who read it. I hope there is nothing out there like this and if there is, I apologize, but this really did come from my mind. If you would like to use the story or Silver Fox as a basis for one of your own, please ask first, I would like to know who is using it. Also, I strongly advise you read Silver Fox: Part 1 and part 2 so that you may understand what is going on here. And finally, since the Ancient Walkers are in this, I will be referring to them as First for the beak guy, Second for the Pteronadon, and Third for the small gecko one.  
This story is best viewed in Times New Roman, with a font size of 12-16.  
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Timeline: One minute after the events in "Eye of the Storm" Silver Fox: Part 2  
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Part 3: The Brightest Hope  
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The Freedom Fighters watched in horror, unable to believe that Sonic the Hedgehog was dead. A single tear ran down Princess Sally's cheek as she watched the smoke clear. She turned her head from the scene, not knowing if the hedgehog she loved was lost to her, and not wanting to know if the worst had happened to her two friends. Suddenly, Charmy Bee cried out, "Look!" Sally turned back , expecting to see some new horror Silver Fox had unleashed on them, but instead saw both Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles crash into the ground. Everyone ran over to the pair, with Sally ahead of all others, and watched as both animals returned to normal. Sally felt them for a pulse while Nicole scanned them for damage.  
"They're both alive," Sally stated, very relieved indeed.  
"Yes, but medical scanners indicate both have sustained extreme damage. They both require medical attention immediately," Nicole added. Sally could see that easily, for Sonic was bleeding badly as was Knuckles, and both had several bumps, bruises and dents forming all over their bodies.  
"Get them back to Dr. Quack, now! Let's see if he can't fix them up," Sally ordered.  
  
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In Robotropolis, Enerjak slept. With his powers gone, the cryogenic capsule was all that kept him alive. Dr. Robotnik had considered shutting it down, and thus eliminating a potential rival, but he was in no mood for the hassle the Freedom Fighters would give him if he did.  
Suddenly, a green glow surrounded the container, and Enerjak's eyes soon opened. The lid of the pod flipped open as the ancient echidna stepped out.  
"I take this to mean that the Freedom Fighters and my SWATbots have succeeded," Robotnik said.  
"No, they got the tar beaten out of them. Sonic and Knuckles are both badly hurt, and Silver Fox destroyed a village," Enerjak replied. Robotnik visibly slumped when he received this news.  
"So, now what do we do?" Snively, who had been nearby, asked. For once, neither Enerjak nor Robotnik had an answer.  
  
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Aboard the Wing Fortress, every robot that could was shaking hands with Silver Fox, congratulating him on the successful mission. Those that couldn't shake hands were congratulating him in other ways. Even the Strike Force was getting congratulations.  
Silver Fox had set the entire Wing Fortress on the ground under the cloak. He'd figured that his army deserved some time to relax as a reward for their hard work and success. This time off had soon transformed into a full blown party. 10-W-40 oil poured like water. Several of the Science and SWATbots had brought up games of skill for everybody's amusement, such as a dart board, a wrestling arena, and etc. Silver Fox found no fault in this, as it was fun for them and tested sensors and strength. He soon walked to the head of the room, ready to make an announcement.  
"Excuse me! People, people, can we please settle down for just a minute?!" Silver Fox said. Unfortunately, none of the gathering could hear him over the noise. Silver Fox smacked the wall with a tentacle, and the resulting crash did get their attention. "First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on a successful mission. Thanks to all of you're efforts, Sonic and Knuckles are either dead, or seriously wishing they were. We have dealt a tremendous blow to the 'Alliance,' who will now think twice before underestimating us again. Soon, we will be ready for the next phase of my plan. Terra-bot and his crew have almost finished securing the areas needed on the Floating Island.  
"There is another reason for this announcement. SWATbot 4326, come forward." The SWATbot did as he was told. "I want you all to see this." A big screen drops down behind Silver Fox. As the picture comes on, 4326 is seen commanding several robots during the battle. 4326 is doing very well with his strategies and is seen adapting his plans to unforeseen events.  
"You did a very good job in organizing the troops. I have already made plans for my second in command, but your valor and intelligence have convinced me that you would make an excellent third in command. Tomorrow at 0700 hours, you are to report to Lab 4 for an upgrade to your new post. After that, I expect to see you on the bridge for your assignment. Congratulations, Commander."  
"Th... Thank you, Lord Silver Fox," the SWATbot said, displaying the robotic version of being flabbergasted.  
"You've earned it. Tomorrow, we will begin the next phase of my plan, but for tonight, you all have my permission to party." With that, Silver Fox hopped down and left, heading for his own private lab.  
  
* * *  
  
Upon arriving, he watched as a holographic generator came on-line. The generated image that appeared was labeled by the generator as only 75% complete. Even with the missing quarter, it had still taken on a distinctly echidna-like shape. What got Silver Fox's attention, though, was a small section near the center. He knew it was the key component he needed. When it was complete, which should be only in another week or so, no power in heaven or Mobius would be able to stop him.  
  
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Tails still couldn't figure out what Silver Fox was up to. He'd seen through Silver Fox what had occurred, especially with Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles, and was also unsure as to whether his friends were dead or alive.  
Tails' computerized form was nearing the main driver program, and soon he would be able to punish Silver Fox for his cruel and thoughtless actions. The young kit summoned the computerized internal clock, soon noticing that it was almost time to send another message. Unsure if he would make it in time, Tails quickly began to craft his message.  
  
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"Hook them up to two units of whole blood each; STAT!!" Dr. Quack yelled as Sonic and Knuckles were wheeled into his infirmary. Both were still bleeding badly, and Dr. Quack already could tell they had several broken bones.  
"Doctor, both pulses are faint and still fading," one of the nurses said.  
"I'm seeing several internal bleeders. Doctor, if we can't stabilize them soon, they aren't going to last much longer," another called.  
"I know, but they're both loosing too much blood to operate on," Quack said, preparing a syringe, "Maybe this will help them."  
The Princess watched as the doctor did what he could for her friends. "Dr. Quack, is there anything I can do to help?"  
"Not unless you know someone who can perform miracles, Princess." The ground squirrel looked thoughtful for a while and then left. She had an idea of who to talk to.  
  
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Robotnik waited, just a little impatiently, by the computers for word from anyone. He hated being left in the dark, not knowing what was going on. Unfortunately, he still didn't know how to get in touch with Knothole directly, and he wasn't about to send a message on a general frequency for anyone to pick up, as there wasn't a code around that Silver Fox had not been programmed to break. Robotnik cursed his own abilities and intelligence. If he hadn't thought of and fortified Silver Fox against everything, he could have ended this whole thing before it had gotten this out of hand. Suddenly, the communications system beeped to life.  
"Greetings, Dr. Robotnik," said Princess Sally.  
"Why Princess," Robotnik answered, "what a pleasant surprise. I was just thinking about you. How did your mission go? What has been happening?"  
"I'll tell you later, right now I have to talk to Enerjak." Robotnik cursed inwardly. It galled him to be at the beck and call of the Freedom Fighters, but alone he'd be unable to defeat the Silver Fox robot. Mistakes and fate had forced him to join forces with his hated enemies, and he also knew Silver Fox would seize a killing advantage from any dissension. He sent a Crabmeat off to find Enerjak. An instant later, the echidna appeared out of nowhere.  
"I understand you are looking for me, Princess," Enerjak stated.  
"Yes, I need you to get to Knothole, now. It's a matter of life and death."  
"Oh very well, I'll be there in a few seconds." With that, Enerjak disappeared and Sally cut off communications. Robotnik scowled at this, for he still did not know what was going on.  
  
* * *  
  
Sally had only just put up Nicole when Enerjak materialized beside her.  
"Now, do you mind telling me what this is all about?" Enerjak asked.  
"Due to the damage they sustained in their battle with Silver Fox, Dr. Quack says that Sonic and Knuckles might not survive without a miracle," Sally explained. "So, I figured you could use those powers of yours to heal them."  
"You want me to waste my precious power on healing those two when I'll need all of my resources when Silver Fox and I clash again! Are you crazy!?!?" Enerjak screamed in rage.  
"If they die, that's going to weaken us tremendously. It's in all of our best interests if you help them." Sally replied.  
"And what if he attacks us now. I'd be too weak to fight him, all because I wasted so much time and energy healing two insignificant..." Enerjak's words were cut off as Sally slapped him.  
"Insignificant!! You self-centered, pompous, arrogant, little creep. Sonic and Knuckles saved your hide, the least you can do is return the favor."  
"I don't do gratitude," Enerjak said. Sally glared at him and then stalked off.  
  
* * *  
  
Both Sonic and Knuckles were slipping and fast. Dr. Quack knew that unless some miracle happened, they would both die before the night's end. He knew there was heavy internal bleeding in both of the animals, the problem still remained that he couldn't fix those bleeders until both got significantly more stable.  
That was when Sally walked in. The Princess looked both incredibly angry and totally defeated.  
"Welcome, Princess. What can I do for you?" Dr. Quack asked.  
"Nothing, unless you can install a humility gland into someone I know," the Princess looked on the verge of an emotional breakdown. "I had a chat with Enerjak. I thought he might be able to heal Sonic and Knuckles. He thought differently."  
"I understand," Dr. Quack said. "But I don't see how we can force him to do anything."  
"I know, I know, and that's what makes it so frustrating. I know he has the power to save them, but he's too self-centered to help." Sally said. "He says he 'doesn't do gratitude.'"  
"I understand Princess. We can only hope he'll come to his senses before its too late." Dr. Quack said.  
  
****************************************  
  
Enerjak looked after Sally as she stormed off, totally flabbergasted. In all his long life, very few had dared to strike him, and those that had had powers of their own to back them up. That this, this WOMAN had dared attack him was outrageous. Enerjak marveled at her courage. She'd risked being vaporized by a force infinitely more powerful than herself for the sake of her friends. He started after her.  
When he reached the infirmary, Enerjak looked in through the window to see both Sonic and Knuckles lying unconscious on their beds. Both looked almost dead. Enerjak soon made his decision. He entered.  
"What are you doing here?!" Sally snapped. Enerjak nearly jumped at the anger and hatred she projected towards him.  
"I'm fulfilling your request, or do you not want me to heal your boyfriend anymore?" he answered, smiling. The Princess backed off a little, though she still kept an angry eye on him. Now that he was closer, Enerjak could more appropriately see the damage. He silently praised his long dead brother Edmund's persuasive argument for them to add a medical degree to their store of knowledge. The echidna concentrated, sending his mind and directing his power into the two unconscious creatures. Soon, at Enerjak's command, bones began to place themselves and mend at a supernatural rate, bleeding was halted as tears and rips in tissue and muscle closed up. The strain on Enerjak was great, mostly due to the fact that he'd never really tried this. It was much easier to destroy things than to actually fix up people. As he reached the damaged portions of Sonic's legs, the ancient echidna visible slowed down. If he screwed up here, Sonic would loose his super-speed and be of little use against Silver Fox. It was even more difficult since he was not very familiar with hedgehog anatomy. Soon, though, he'd fixed his allies as best he could.  
"They should remain asleep for a couple of hours, but they'll be fine," Enerjak said as he opened his eyes.  
"Thank you, Enerjak, thank you so...," Sally was soon cut off.  
"This does not mean that my opinions or goals have changed at all. As soon as this campaign is dispensed with you will all be my enemies again. I only help now because it is intelligent to do so, but make no mistake, if there had been another way out, I would have taken it," Enerjak said as he walked out. Archimedes suddenly came out of his hiding place and leapt onto the confused Princess's shoulder.  
"All I did was thank him and he..."  
"Don't sweat it your royalness; Enerjak is like that to every one," the fire ant stated.  
"Well, all we can do now is wait for the two of them to awaken," Dr. Quack interjected, hustling both out of the room.  
  
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0700 hours  
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The robot formerly known as SWATbot 4326 walked with tremendous confidence down the halls of the Wing Fortress. Not only did he now have the third highest ranking in this army, but he even had a name instead of a production number as well. He was Commander Tane. He had gone in early to receive his orders, so he could start his new job earlier. He remembered his meeting with Silver Fox well.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, Tane, you want your orders now, do you? I admire your industriousness," Silver Fox had said.  
"Will you give me my orders ahead of time then?" Tane had asked.  
"Why of course, dear boy," his leader replied, "You are to play a large part in my little scheme. You will head the operation on the Floating Island. The team there will report directly to you, who will then decide when their reports are important and complete enough for me to wish to read. You will also decide what parts of their reports have any pertinence to the mission's full goal, and if a lead looks promising enough to follow. With you rests total power over the mission, and total responsibility will fall on your head should it fail."  
"And what is the mission's objective, my lord?" Tane had asked.  
"To find the secret location of the Master Chaos Emerald." Silver Fox's eyes had glowed as he had said those last three words.  
"You mean it really exists?" Tane asked.  
"Yes, and soon you will find it, and then I shall have even more limitless power. Then we will proceed with the final phase of my plan. And before you ask; no, I will not tell you the rest. You shall see it when it happens. Now, report to your post on the bridge at 0700 hours."  
"Yes sir." With that, Commander Tane left for his post.  
  
* * *  
  
As soon as he got to the bridge, Tane immediately went about contacting the mission's field commander, Terra-bot. It would be a glorious day when he proved to Silver Fox how capable he was.  
"Terra-bot here. This better be good," the burly robot shark said.  
"Have a care, fish food, lest you wish to upset your new commander."  
"Silver Fox put YOU in charge of this mission? I don't believe it."  
"I thought you wouldn't, so I'm now activating the command codes that prove it. From now on, you are to report directly to me and I will give your reports to him if they are required."  
"Very well," had been Terra-bot's final words before Tane cut of transmission. Oh yes, it would be a glorious day.  
  
************************************  
  
Tails was very distraught. He had wound up missing his deadline and had not been able to send another message to Nicole. This in and of itself was not so bad, but now that he had overheard the conversation between his "host" and the new third in command, he was considerably more worried. When he'd been younger and still with his parents, his mother had told him stories of the legendary Chaos Emeralds, and the even more powerful Master Emerald. He hadn't believed the legend of the Master Emerald was anything more than that. But then the same had been true about the Chaos Emeralds and then he met Knuckles. If Silver Fox had found proof that it really did exist, then all of Mobius was in very real danger. Alone, Silver Fox had either killed, or come way too close to killing, Super-Sonic and Hyper-Knuckles. Tails' computer generated self shuddered at the thought of Silver Fox with the power of the Master Emerald backing him as well. And what was worse was that it would do very little good, and maybe even some bad, to tell his friends what Silver Fox was really going for, since he had no idea how Silver Fox was gonna take it. If they tried to move it, maybe he was watching for that so he'd find its location. Or, maybe he would take the whole island and literally tear it apart looking for the jewel. It was just too hard to second-guess his "host."   
That was when Tails remembered what his robotic twin had said some time earlier, he had a team on the Floating Island. They weren't there to find proof of its existence, they were there to figure out where the echidnas had hidden the Master Emerald. Tails began to replay when Silver Fox had first mentioned it from the database, and found it had been started in Robotropolis. The realization hit him like a sonic-jackhammer; everything that Silver Fox had done since that time had been meant to divert all the attentions of his enemies. He'd hoped they'd bring Knuckles and the Chaotix in, because then they wouldn't figure out the truth till it was far too late to stop him. Miles "Tails" Prower began to quickly craft a message, praying that his warning would not be too late. He did not notice the seeker program that was quietly watching him.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Knuckles had woken up roughly twenty-four hours after Enerjak had healed him, and he'd had a huge appetite. Enerjak had told Sally that he had used some of their natural energies to heal them, and they would more than likely be very hungry when they awoke. Knuckles, of course, had been a bit suspicious of Enerjak's sincerity in healing them, considering several ways that Enerjak could successfully double-cross them. This he said to Sally between bites of a PB&J sandwich, his third.   
"It's just very discomforting to know that Enerjak has been fiddling with my innards. When I think of all the damage he could still do, I just shudder," Knuckles said.  
"He swore that he did nothing that could damage you. No implanted spells, no demons left in to wreck you in the future," Sally had replied.  
"The guy's word isn't worth the wind he uses to speak it, Princess, and he'd never pass up a good advantage."  
"You're just being paranoid. If we go down, he goes down with us," Sally pointed out. Then she turned to Dr. Quack who was also in the room, attending to his other patient. "Doctor, how is Sonic doing?"  
"Pretty good. Enerjak didn't do as good a job with him as Knuckles, but I think that Sonic will recover soon. It probably won't be long before he regains consciousness."  
"That's good news at least. I need to go to the communications hut and see if anyone's spotted the Wing Fortress anywhere. It's a slim chance with that cloaking device, I know, but we have to try everything we can."  
"Will do Sally." With that said, Sally left the hospital room.  
  
****************************************  
  
When she arrived in the communications hut, Rotor had it jumping with work. He had rewired several old radio sets as makeshift communications equipment. Now there were about twelve stations and each one was a flurry of incoming messages. At that point, Bunnie dashed out of the hut, ignoring Sally almost completely. The squirrel princess walked over to Rotor.  
"Rotor, has anything new been reported in?"  
"Yes, we're getting reports of attacks from Freedom Fighter bases saying they've been attacked by robotic forces. The messages say that the robots are attacking too fast to mount a resistance, but these same forces only wreck the villages; they don't even try to eliminate the base completely, just cripple them. And this is not just a localized string of attacks, these reports are coming from all over Mobius. Robotnik's outposts are also getting trashed, though they're reporting less casualties." Rotor replied, almost in hysteria.  
"That makes sense. Has anyone actually seen where these attacks are coming from?"  
"You mean has anyone seen the Wing Fortress, don't you? The answer is no. Sally, if we don't do something soon, we won't be able to do anything."  
"I understand that, Rotor, but WHAT can we do? It's impossible to find any pattern to his attacks and the direct attack was disastrous. I'm not about to send good people to a slaughter," Sally said.   
"Sally, good people ARE getting slaughtered out there!! You can't make a value call on those lives," Rotor shouted.  
"I think Silver Fox is hoping we'll respond by sending more troops. He's trying to weaken us," a thought soon crossed Sally's mind. "Wait a minute. He said he only knew the location of twelve Freedom Fighter bases. That's why he only made thirteen missiles. How did Silver Fox learn where those other bases were?" Rotor blinked at this revelation, remembering the same conversation. It was an extremely puzzling question. How had Silver Fox learned all those new Freedom Fighter bases' locations?  
  
*****************************************  
  
Tails was finishing his message, and not a second too soon. It was very close to the time when he would be able to send his message to Nicole. He'd done a little file search and discovered just how all this had happened, and he hoped Sally would understand. Suddenly, a Seeker program fired, nearly hitting the two-tailed fox. Tails jumped behind a what passed for a rock on this immaterial plane. He had to destroy the Seeker before it told Silver Fox he was here, or made him miss his deadline. How was the question racing through his mind. That was when it hit him. The Seeker was basically energy and could fire energy commands, such as the pause command it was using. Tails was also basically energy, why couldn't he do the same. Closing his eyes, the young kit suddenly saw all sorts of commands that were available. Though he wasn't terribly computer literate, and knew there had to be a more effective way he did not know of, Tails did see the command he needed; the DELETE command.  
"Okay, let's hope this works," Tails said as he opened his eyes. He jumped out from behind the "rock" and opened fire from his paws. Unfortunately, the Seeker was no longer where it had been. He suddenly felt a numbness in his left tail, and realized that the Seeker was behind him and had "paused" his tail. He turned around in time to take another blast to his right leg, which also froze. In desperation, Tails pointed his paws at the Seeker. This time, the blast did hit something, though not the Seeker. The rock Tails had been hiding behind disappeared as the blast hit it. Tails whirled around, trying to catch the Seeker again, when it got his left arm. Desperate now, Tails let loose a final blast which struck the Seeker. With the offending program gone, Tails's body returned to normal. Noticing the time, Tails quickly sent his message, praying it would get to the others in time for them to do something. That done, Tails once more began his long trek, nearly completed, to Silver Fox's main driver program.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Tane was feeling very pleased with himself. The force on the Floating Island had uncovered two likely leads two days ago. They had asked Tane which one to follow, and Tane had chosen what was now, obviously, the correct one. Since that time, they had been finding all sorts of evidence proving the Master Emerald's existence. Now they were closer than ever to discovering its location. The team was currently in the Sandopolis ruins, the next likely spot for any clues to their goal. That was when Silver Fox had announced that he would like them to be done in five more days. This had put somewhat of a hurry on Tane's task, and the new commander did not like to be rushed; unfortunately, Silver Fox generally had good reasons for pushing others.   
"Commander Tane," crackled the comm-system.  
"What is it, Terra-bot?" the commander asked.  
"We've uncovered something of value in the ruins, sir. They appear to be hieroglyphics, dating back several centuries, millennia even. We're just now finishing the translation."  
"Well, what do they say?"  
"They appear to be directions... no, wait! It's a riddle. Do you wish us to transmit it to you?"  
"Of course. Put it on screen now." Suddenly, the a fore mentioned hieroglyphics appeared on the screen. Then they faded to reveal their translation.   
  
Lake of fire, walls of ice,  
Neither takes the other's life,  
But when they meet, or so they say,  
A war was fought all through the day,  
Till a power settled here,  
Bright and green; a force to fear,  
To tame the magic, just role your dice,  
And go to the place where meets, fire and ice.  
  
Tane looked at the riddle with genuine puzzlement. "And that is all there is to the riddle?"  
"Yes sir, we can't figure it out either. The rest of the 'pictures' here don't talk about anything of import. Sir, I think that the answer to this riddle may be the location of the mission objective."  
"Truly you are blessed with superior deductive skills," Tane said sarcastically. "We need to figure this out. You are to remain there until we do. Look for anything that might help."  
"Very well sir." And with that, the transmission ended.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Sally was fast asleep when Dylan came. He knew it probably wasn't fair to wake her up only two hours after she'd gone to bed, but Dr. Quack had said it was urgent. Gently, he reached over to her shoulder and began to shake her. It took only a minute of this before she woke up, still looking like she hadn't slept in days, which was true.  
"Dylan, what is it?" Sally asked, with more venom then she'd intended.  
"Dr. Quack said to tell you that Sonic has woken up. You told him to tell you as soon as he did." the porcupine responded.  
"Very well. Tell Quack I'll be there shortly, okay." With his new orders now given, Dylan left. Princess Sally quickly got dressed and headed for the hospital.  
  
* * *  
  
Along the way, Sally had bumped into Antoine, who insisted on going with her to the hospital room. When they got there, Sally was amazed at the fact that Enerjak was also there as well. The older echidna was talking with Knuckles, though a better word might have been debating. Sally caught snippets of a conversation that she didn't like to think on.  
"My brother was a weak-willed fool, Knuckles. With my power, I am overly qualified to lead this planet. My sheer omnipotence makes me infallible."  
"Yeah, you proved that both times you were free. You underestimated your adversary twice, and didn't even bother to learn from the experience."  
And so the debate went on, with Enerjak citing reasons why he should rule Mobius and Knuckles finding fault in his logic, while Knuckles tried to play up the honor of guarding the Floating Island, and Enerjak showed him reasons why it was futile. The squirrel then turned to Sonic, whose eyes were halfway opened as Dr. Quack went about testing his life signs. Sally sat down beside the bed.  
"So, how're you doing Sonic?" she asked.  
"All right I suppose," came the hedgehog's reply. Though he tried to sound better, Sally could tell from his voice something was bothering him.   
"Sonic, what's wrong?"  
"It's nothing, Sal. Just postcoma-blues I guess."  
"Sonic, you know you can tell me anything that's...."  
"Zut Allures!!" Antoine cried, suddenly becoming very rigid. Sally looked over to where he was looking, fully expecting to see Knuckles and Enerjak in the process of strangling each other, but only to find that they had the same bewildered looks on their faces (a first for Enerjak in a long time).  
"Antoine, what's wrong?" Sally said. All she got in response was a string of French gibberish. She noticed, however, that he was pointing straight at Enerjak. She turned a quizzical eye to the old echidna.  
"Princess, I have no idea what he's talking about," Enerjak responded, truly sounding innocent.  
"Zhat ting on your chest, the small box-like ting, zhat was what he was wearinged."  
"What who was wearing, Ant?"  
"Zhe Silver Fox. Zhe night Sarah Tapper camed into Knothole, I had zhe nightmare. Silver Fox was destroying Knothole, he had zhis green glow around him, and was wearing that little box tingy. When you died Prinzess Sally, a crystal came out of your pocket. Zhe next day, we loosed zhe battle at Krystal. I am now tinking zhis cannot be a mere coincidence." Antoine explained.  
"Enerjak, what is that thing?" Knuckles asked, fearing he already knew the answer.  
"It is my Chaos Siphon, compressed a bit though. I still don't see what you're talking about."  
"Do you think it could be a premonition, Sal?" Sonic asked.  
"I'm not ready to rule it out. Nicole, scan Enerjak for anything that would transmit information."  
"Scanning Sally... Scan complete... Transmitters located: four. Location: right shoulder."  
"Nicole, track transmitter back to its source."  
"Transmitter is broadcasting on a tight beam frequency, cannot pinpoint exact location, but currently transmitting to inside the Wing Fortress."  
"Nicole, destroy the transmitter."  
"Already done Sally. Locking on other transmitters.. transmitters found... transmitters destroyed." Enerjak noticed four small "poofs" of flame appear all over his body.   
"What the.."  
"Silver Fox must have planted remote controlled scanners on you. They were X-raying your body and sending the blueprint information on your armor back to him. Heaven only knows what he was planning on doing with it, or even how much he got of it," Sally said.  
"There's really only one thing you can do with it, drain the power of the chaos emeralds into yourself," Knuckles said.  
"But Tails only knew the location of one emerald. That doesn't sound like Silver Fox's style," Sonic said.  
"I say we stake out the chaos chamber just in case," Knuckles said, "I feel fit enough to take on a whole army of Silver Foxes." At this, Enerjak looked at his long removed relation skeptically.  
"A WHOLE army?"  
Knuckles thinks about this for a second before replying, "I see your point, one is enough, thanks."  
"Aren't you forgetting something. How are we gonna beat him. He's invincible. It's suicide to try to take him on," Sonic said, trying his best to hide the fear in his voice. Unfortunately for him, Sally picked up on it rather easily.  
"Enerjak, Knuckles, Antoine, Dr. Quack, can you please give Sonic and I some privacy."  
"What for. What can you two talk...." Enerjak started. Suddenly, both Antoine and Knuckles covered his mouth as they took him outside.  
"If you need me, just push the button on the side of Sonic's bed," Dr. Quack said as he left. Now that they were alone, Sally began.  
"OK Sonic, what's wrong? You've been acting edgy ever since our defeat at Krystal. Now what's gotten you so nervous?" Sally asked.  
"I can't beat him, Sal. You saw what happened. I couldn't even handle his new badniks without you guys' help."  
"So? Robotnik has handed you minor defeats before, and you've always managed to bounce back better than ever."  
"You didn't see him, Sal. With Robotnik, at least he took me seriously and was really trying to kill me. We hated each other, but at least we respected each other's abilities. But with Silver Fox... Sal, he wasn't even tryin'. He didn't even take Knuckles and me seriously, we were just toys that were his to break."  
"Knuckles doesn't seem to be letting that affect him. We'll find a way to stop Silver Fox, it'll just take more creativity and ingenuity than before."  
"Sal, you still don't understand, I can't fight him again. Of the two of us, I took the most damage. I came within a hair's width of dying, and he wouldn't even have cared one way or another. All my speed, all my cunning, all my resourcefulness amounted to zilch against him. If I try again, it'll just end the same way, maybe worse."  
"Sonic, what are you saying?"  
"I'm saying, I can't go with you to the Floating Island. I can't face that kind of power again. I'd just quake with fear all the time, and I'd be of no use to you." Sally looks at her boyfriend, disappointment showing in her eyes.   
"Sonic, one moment of weakness is no excuse to just give up. We've all gone up against a noticeably superior being, and we've all had to adjust."  
"Sally, he wasn't even trying. And you heard Robotnik, the reason he used Tails was because he was sure I'd have trained with him. Silver Fox knows my moves better than I do. It'd be suicide to fight him."  
"Sonic, Tails may know your moves, and conversely Silver Fox also knows them, but that just means you have to come up with new moves, ones he hasn't seen."  
"That wouldn't work. You know that my speed is my biggest asset. I've already explored all the attacks that speed can let me do. And even if I came up with something new, it wouldn't matter how fast I did it, Silver Fox is still faster."  
"So you can't use your speed to beat your enemy this time. That isn't all you are, Sonic. Perhaps it's time you exercised some of your other abilities, like your brain and intelligence."  
"Come on Sal, you know I'm no good at that stuff. I'm not as smart as you or Rotor, and Silver Fox has already proven to be at the very least on you two's level of intelligence."  
"I think you're smarter than you give yourself credit for. You've obviously spent a lot of time thinking about this and you seem to have used great insight into the matter. You are intelligent Sonic, and Silver Fox is a computer, there's no way an organic mind can think as fast as him, but he doesn't have true intelligence, just information he can access from a data base."  
"That doesn't help me Sal. I'm sorry, but I can't go."  
"I'm sorry too, Sonic. I'd hoped you had more confidence in yourself than just for your speed." With that Sally stood and left the depressed hedgehog to contemplate her words.  
  
********************  
  
"Sally, what happened?" asked Knuckles as he came across a sad looking squirrel.  
"I'm just very disappointed in someone, Knuckles. I kind had more faith in him than he had in himself," came Sally's answer.  
"Has Enerjak been messin' with you again? 'Cause if he has, I'll..."  
"No, it's not him, it's Sonic."  
"The blue blur? What's wrong?"  
"He's scared to face Silver Fox again. After he nearly killed the both of you, Sonic's afraid what might happen if he tried again."  
"He'd get killed," came Robotnik's voice from Nicole's screen.  
"What's that supposed to mean, 'Buttnik?" Knuckles asked, looking down at Robotnik's picture.  
"I designed Silver Fox to defeat you all, but Sonic was top priority. And Silver Fox IS the superior fighter. Sonic has a right to be scared."   
"Sally, incoming message: source marker identical to recent message sender."  
"Nicole, run all normal code breaking programs on the message, then display," Sally said.   
"Bit code only code present, displaying message," Nicole said. Suddenly, the screen split in two, as the message displayed for all to see:  
  
*SalE listen up. SF is plAin U al 4 saps. He's pulling coin trik. Tru goal is the Master Emerald. He knOs how tu mAk Kaos Sifon, and intends tu Us it tu drAn the power uv the emeralds and put it in himself. Us this to strIk. Gama ShEld won't let him absorb powers, has to turn oF. Plasma can kEp shEld down. Wil trI tu help during batle. SF canot get powers, wood becom unstopabl. Won't contact U agAn, so good luk. Luv TAls.*  
  
"Message ends."  
"By all that is holy," Knuckles gasped, "Did that little computer just say what I think it said?"  
"Yes," Sally said, realizing that it was Tails who had been sending them the messages. More importantly she realized what he meant by "pulling a coin trick." It meant the same as in sleight-of-hand, one of the first tricks Sonic had taught him. All the time Silver Fox had been pestering them and nipping at them had been a diversion. If Silver Fox truly did have the ability to drain the magical power of the Master Chaos Emerald, then they had to stop him.  
"Princess, I need to get back to the Floating Island pronto. I can't allow him to get the Master Chaos Emerald."  
"I understand Knuckles, and under the circumstances, I am coming with you," Sally said, "But I don't think it would be all that bad if he did get the emerald."  
"Have you gone mad squirrel??? You saw what he did with just his own powers, he'd become unstoppable if he got the Master Emerald!" Robotnik screamed.  
"I hate to agree with ol' quadruple chins here, Princess, but he does have a point," Knuckles said.  
"Hear me out," Sally said, redisplaying the message Tails had sent. "Tails said that plasma can keep Silver Fox's shields down, and we already know that as long as his shield is up, energy doesn't get to him. Doctor, can you design a deroboticizor that could fool Silver Fox into believing it was the Master Emerald?"  
"If given the proper dimensions and attributes it would have to mimic, and with a good supply of luck, I should be able to construct such a machine."  
"Knuckles, can you give Robotnik the information he requires to make a false Master Emerald?"  
"Yeah, but I wouldn't feel good about it."  
"What are you up to Sally?" Robotnik asked.  
"I believe there is a way to defeat Silver Fox, but it will require all of us working as a single unit. Silver Fox tries to steal the Master Emerald's powers, but Robotnik has already set a deroboticizor in place camouflaged as the emerald. He lowers his Gamma Shield to absorb the energy, and that's when we hit him with the deroboticizor."  
"We can use plasma disrupters to keep his shield down, and Enerjak might be able to keep Silver Fox in one place long enough to change him," Robotnik said.   
"The hedgehog can help keep Silver Fox off balance.." Enerjak said.  
"Sonic will not be coming with us, Enerjak. He's had some difficulty recovering from the last assault, and he thinks he'd be more of a liability than a help."  
"I'll believe that," comes Robotnik's reply, though there is doubt in his voice. "In any event, we have to get started on this. Silver Fox is days ahead of us and may already have found the Master Emerald." Sally turns off Nicole's monitor and motions Knuckles to follow her. Their destination; Robotropolis.  
  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Sonic is standing up, looking fit as a fiddle, though a little depressed. Sally's words have visibly struck home, as Sonic prepares to leave the hospital.   
A few minutes later he is outside, simply walking (this story is just filled with firsts isn't it?) around and reflecting. *Am I really ready to throw in the ol' towel just because one robot could beat me a couple of times?* Sonic thought to himself. *Ah, who am I kiddin'. There's no way I can..*  
*And so falls the brave and powerful hero of the Freedom Fighters.*  
"Who said that?" Sonic asked as he spun around, looking for the voice's source.  
*I am speaking to you telepathically, child. I am, what you might term, the Gaurdian Angel for all of Mobius, and it saddens me to see one so young believe himself to be finished.*   
"Great, now I'm hearin' voices," Sonic said, when suddenly a lightening bolt hits the ground right in front of him. This is even odder in the fact that there are no clouds in the sky overhead. "Okay, okay, yer real. Sheesh. But how can I beat this guy, he's way too fast?"  
*If speed was all it took to become a hero, then you would truly be nothing special. You must turn to your other, less obvious gifts Sonic, otherwise, Mobius will be doomed.*  
"But how, I've used up every way I know how to fight. I've tried to out race him, I've tried to cut him, I've even tried Super-Sonic mode and nothin's worked."  
*Then perhaps it is time for you to find a different way, oh blue blur. If being the hero were easy, if heroes did not at some point come across a challenge that seems insurmountable, then anyone would choose to be one.*  
"But I couldn't..."  
*Sonic Maurice Hedgehog!!* Sonic visibly shudders at his full name. *You need some serious help. Go to the cave in Sleepy Glen; you know the way. There you will meet some old acquaintances of yours who might be able and willing to help.*  
"Wait a minute. If you're supposed to be the Gaurdian of Mobius, how come you don't just fix this."  
*Because you and your friends still possess the hope of saving the world. Silver Fox is not a god, only god-like, and thus can be beaten. NOW GO!!!* Upon hearing this last part, Sonic departs at top speed, not wanting to anger this seemingly benevolent ally.  
  
****************************************  
  
Miles away in what appears to be a stronghold, three figures become visible. At the computers stands Locke, the father of Knuckles, and an unknown person hidden in a dark green cloak and hood. Athair is also in the room, though he is back in the shadows a bit.  
The stranger turns to Locke and says, "Thank you my friend for allowing me to use Haven this day."  
"I doubt Steppenwolfe would have approved of you using this place as a contact point to mind-speak with a hedgehog."  
"Our two families have worked together for years, ever since both our bloodlines were born. I think you can tolerate my using it this once, especially since the Ancient Walkers said I needed to."  
"I just hope this doesn't blow up in all out faces."  
"That, my friend, is a concern of my own as well." With that, the cloaked figure raises its arms and disappears in a small tornado.  
  
**************************************************  
  
By now, Sonic has reached Sleepy Glen and the appointed cave.   
"Hello, is anybody here!?!?!?!" Sonic shouts, still a bit skeptical of the logic behind his actions. No one answers, so Sonic takes the initiative and enters the cave. As soon as he does so, however, the whole place goes wavy and suddenly all is yellow. And, most importantly, the Ancient Walkers are now standing in front of Sonic.   
"Oh boy."  
"*INDEED*" came all three Walkers responses.  
  
*************************************************  
  
Robotnik had almost completed construction of the cloaked deroboticizor. He marveled at how simple it had been to construct such a device and also understood something far more sinister. It would be just as easy to do the same thing with a roboticizor. Unfortunately, he could not expand visibly on this with that blasted echidna watching his every move. *Oh, well,* Robotnik thought to himself, *there's always tomorrow, if we live that long.*  
"Yo, doc. When's the deroboticizor gonna be ready?" Knuckles asked.  
"Soon, Knuckles, very soon. Camouflaging the deroboticizor has proven to be exceedingly easy. But since young Tails did not go through your basic roboticization, I don't know if normal deroboticization will work on him, or, if it does, what adverse effects it may have on him," Robotnik replied.  
"Is that concern I hear in your voice, Doctor?" Knuckles asked.   
"I am concerned that should anything go wrong with young Tails's deroboticization, it could prove most detrimental to Mobius. There is no profit in destroying the world so quickly," Robotnik said, turning from Knuckles to continue his work.   
As Knuckles walks out the door, he mumbles, "Your compassion is underwhelming."  
  
******************  
  
On board the Wing Fortress, Tane carries an armload of paper to the rooms designated as Silver Fox's. *Even if it doesn't present a good image of my abilities to him, if I fail to get him the Master Emerald while we're so close, I might just turn into a paperweight,* Tane thought as he reached the door, *Just please let him be in a good mood.* As he enters, Tane sees Silver Fox is glowing a bright silver.  
"Uh, sir, is something wrong with you?" Tane asked his leader.  
"Nothing really, Commander," came the metallic fox's reply, "but I never would have guessed Dimitri's Chaos Siphon was so complicated."  
"Sir?"  
"That's right, you wouldn't know about that. Well, it's unimportant right now. What is it you wished to speak with me about?"  
"Sir, I believe we've found an important clue to the location of the Master Emerald. It's a riddle, but both Terra-bot and myself can't figure it out." Tane hands Silver Fox a sheet of paper with the riddle on it, which the vibrium vulpine quickly scans.  
"I see," Silver Fox said. "And none of you can figure out where this riddle is describing?"  
"Well, begging your pardon, but we aren't as familiar with a the Floating Island as you are."  
"Well, it is no crime to admit one's limitations. Are you aware of the two zones known as Ice Cap and Lava Reef?" Silver Fox asked his Third.  
"Yes sir, those were our first guesses, but there's no place that the two zones come in contact with each other." Tane answered  
"Actually, the two zones do come in contact with each other. In three places in fact. The problem is none of these are above ground." A map appears on a computer screen behind Silver Fox. Four dots appear on the map at seemingly random points. "Let's look at this logically. These two dots are part of a teleportation system. I somehow doubt it would be a viable location for the Master Emerald. This one here is likely since it has easy access from the surface, but if you were trying to hide something like the Master Emerald, you'd want to make it fairly difficult for some other yutz to get to. That leaves this point, which is an anomaly, as it is extremely close to the centers of both Lava Reef and Ice Cap. The icy cave surrounding it doesn't melt and the lava flowing through it hasn't cooled."  
"That can't be natural sir. Either the ice would melt or the lava would freeze," Tane interrupted.  
"Correct, but remember the rest of the riddle; 'Neither takes the other's life.' This HAS to be the Master Emerald's hiding place. Scramble the troops, Tane, we're goin' spelunking."  
"Yes, sir!" came Commander Tane's reply as he dashed through the door. Alone now, Silver Fox looked at his wrist were a timer now read 00:00:00.  
"Now we see just how well I trained my army. Soon, this world will be mine. Ha Ha Ha HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, in another dimension, a bewildered hedgehog watches his "hosts" who have remained unmoving for all this time.  
"Okay, I give. If you guys went ta all this trouble to get me here, why ain't cha doin' anything?" Sonic asked, stamping his foot impatiently.  
"*WHAT MAKEST THOU THINK WE ART THE ONES THAT DIDST SUMMON THEE?*" came First's reply.  
"*IT WAST NOT US WHO SUMMONED THEE, ONLY ASKED TO AID THEE IN THY QUEST,*" Second continued.  
"*THOU HAST LOST THY PRIDE IN THY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND THIS HAS LED TO THOU QUESTIONING THY WORTH,*" said Third.  
"Like I said to the other guy, there's no way I could beat Silver Fo.."  
"*IS THERE? OR IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THOU HAST CONCEDED THE BATTLE BEFORE IT HAST TRULY BEGUN?*" said Second accusingly.  
"The battle was over when Silver Fox took the field. There's nothin' I can do that he can't do better."  
"*THEN MOBIUS IS DOOMED TO THE TYRANNY SILVER FOX WILLST MOST CERTAINLY BRING,*" Third said, hanging his head as he did.  
"Hey, you can't lay all this at my doorstep. The other Freedom Fighters have every bit as good a shot at stoppin' him. Just because I'm not there won't mean they can't beat him."  
"*BUT THOU HAST SAID THYSELF THAT THE YOUNG VULPINE IS UNCONQUERABLE,*" Second said.  
"*TIS TRUE, AND NONE OF THY FRIENDS WILLST BE ABLE TO FACE HIM,*" Third concluded.  
"And why is that, Sally's smart, Rotor's got brains too, and Knuckles is every bit a vicious in a fight as he needs to be."  
"*BUT NONE OF THEM DO POSSESS WHAT THOU DOST, THE INSIGHT INTO THE VILLIAN'S MIND THAT CAN BE USED TO DEFEAT HIM, AND THE ABILITY TO ATTACK HIM FROM WITHIN,*" Third said.  
"It's like Buttnik said, the kid's got..."  
"*WHY DIDST THOU DO THAT?*" First said.  
"Do what?"  
"*THOU DIDST REFER TO THY NEMESIS AS A CHILD. FROM WHAT THOU HAST TOLD US, SILVER FOX IS NO MORE A CHILD THAN ROBOTNIK TIS,*" First said.  
"I don't know. I guess I can't stop thinking about him as if he were Tails," Sonic conceded.  
"*SURELY HE DOTH SHARE MORE WITH YOUNG PROWER THAN HIS FORM? IT DOST TAKE MORE THAN SIGHT TO MAKE A CONNECTION BETWIXT TWO BEINGS,*" Third said. Sonic thought hard on the Ancient Walkers' question. What had he seen in Silver Fox that reminded him so much of Tails. It was then that Robotnik's word came crashing down on him. Silver Fox was a personality that had been integrated with Tails own.  
"They both show off."  
"*CORRECT. UNDERSTAND THAT SILVER FOX IS NOT SIMPLY A SEPARATE ENTITY. HE IS THE DARK, THE EVIL SIDE OF YOUNG PROWER, AND A FORCE ONLY YOU, SONIC HEDGEHOG, CAN DEFEAT. BUT THOU MUST DO MORE THAN MERELY OUT RACE HIM. THOU MUST BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THY ENEMY'S MIND. THOU DOST HAVE ADVANTAGES OVER THE SILVER FOX THOU MAY NOT REALIZE; AND A HIDDEN ALLY WHO NEEDST ONLY YOUR SIGNAL TO AID THEE,*" First said.   
"What good does it do me if he vaporizes me before I get within five miles of him?" Sonic asked. Before he could blink the Ancient Walkers had opened up a portal both strangely familiar yet uncommonly strange to the young hedgehog. It swirled with an unnatural energy that drew Sonic to it like a magnet. Power radiated from it, filling the hedgehog's body with a sense of pleasure he had only minutely felt before as Super-Sonic. All three Ancient Walkers encircle him with raised hands.  
"*IF THOU DOST POSSESS THE COURAGE, THE KNOWLEDGE, THE WILL, THE WISDOM, AND THE POWER TO DO BATTLE WITH THE SILVER FOX AS THOUGH ARE, THOUGH THY LIFE WOULD MOST CERTAINLY BE FORFEIT, THOU MUST EXPRESS IT NOW!*" the Walkers said in union.  
Sonic thought carefully. He knew it'd be sheer suicide to fight Silver Fox all by himself, and he also knew he didn't want to die. On the other hand, leaving his friends and deserting his little buddy simply for self-preservation, especially after saying he'd always be there for him, was unacceptable. Plus, Sonic didn't like the world Silver Fox would create if he won the Robot Wars. It was with these thoughts in mind that Sonic made his answer.  
"Yes."  
"*THEN THOU HAST A NEW PATH OPEN TO YOU THIS DAY. TAKE THIS PORTAL AND TRAVEL THE PATH IT TAKES YOU, NO MATTER THE EXTREME DANGER THIS ROAD POSSESSES, AND IT SHALT LEAD YOU TO THE TOOLS THAT SHALT GRANT YOU THE POWER TO MATCH THE SILVER FOX'S OWN. COMMON SENSE AND INSTINCT WILL TELL THEE HOW TO USE THEM. THOU WILT THEN BE TAKEN TO THY ENEMY, BUT THOU MUST HURRY, FOR TIME GROWS SHORT,*" came the Ancient Walkers' words. This being said, Sonic looked at the portal and, without a second thought, jumped into it.  
Seemingly alone now, Third suddenly gives voice to a fact. "*THOU DOST KNOWEST THAT THIS BATTLE COULD VERY EASILY BECOME THE END OF THE YOUNG HEDGEHOG, DOST THOU?*"  
"I disagree," comes a voice. Its owner steps out into the light, revealing him to be the same cloaked figure that contacted Sonic. His face is hidden in the darkness of his blue hood, while the rest of his body is hidden in the blue robes. The figure continues, "I have complete faith in Sonic's abilities to confront Silver Fox. However, we must all be ready to intervene if necessary, for the fate of Mobius hangs in the balance."  
"*DO NOT FORGET WHO THY MASTERS ARE, GUARDIAN. IT TIS YOUR JOB TO SAFEGUARD MOBIUS, NOT OURS,*" Second retorted.  
"Which I am, but, if you'll recall, my job description says I am allowed to do so in any way I choose. This situation is not yet completely out of control. Besides, we can't let the cat out of the bag too early, can we? Your Chosen One is still too young, and he has not yet learned even the basest elements of the powers he has or will inherit."  
"*THY WORD DOTH RING WELL WITH TRUTH, GUARDIAN, BUT BE NOT UNPREPARED TO BATTLE THE SILVER FOX IF THOU ART NEEDED.*"  
"I won't, you just remember, it is my decision as to at what point I am needed in this fight."  
"*IF THIS SCHEME OF THINE'S SUCCEED, WE WILT SET THE AFTERMATH TO RIGHTS. A DELICATE TAPESTRY IS BEING WOVEN THIS DAY, AND IT IS EVER OUR TASK TO WEAVE IT PERSONALLY. *"   
"In other words, when Silver Fox gets beaten, you want to be the ones to be seen fixin' all the things he's done. I can handle that, though I would like to know why you have this sudden interest in what you always used to say was my job too."  
"*THOU WILT BE ENLIGHTENED ALL IN GOOD TIME, BUT FOR NOW FAREWELL,*" with that said all three of the Ancient Walkers depart in a flash of light.  
"Thanks, I may yet need it," with this, the stranger to departs, though in a much less flashy of a way.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Sally looked over where Robotnik's SWATbots were lowering the false Master Emerald into position. Knuckles had examined and re-examined it over and over, and he had been convinced of the authenticity. Enerjak was busy meditating, preparing to focus all of his power towards one goal, keeping Silver Fox in position long enough for him to be deroboticized. All the other Freedom Fighters were busy watching the skies, looking for the slightest ripple or block out in the sky to signal the Wing Fortress's presence.   
"I guess all that leaves me with is to wait," Sally said.  
"I would relish it were I you, Princess," came a metallic voice behind her. Turning to see what was talking to her, she was not surprised to see the newly reconstructed Mecha-Sonic. The robot was roughly twice as big as it was before, and armed with disrupters and the like. Sally had to give him credit; as far as war machines were concerned, Robotnik was probably the best in the business.   
"It's not the wait itself which is unnerving, it's the fact that I know what's coming, and that it might very well wipe us out," the squirrel princess answered. Mecha-Sonic flew up to the top of the cave they were guarding. The plan was simple; keep Silver Fox's warriors from entering the cave, but let Silver Fox himself come through. Once in, it was Knuckles's job to make a convincing effort to stop him, and, when he dropped his forcefield, they'd release the plasma field. Then Robotnik would flip on the deroboticizor, and Enerjak would hold Silver Fox in position and, hopefully, that'd be the end of him. Sally went up to the surface to see if anything had happened. As she exited the cave, she had Nicole set up a detector field, hoping to catch the Wing Fortress. Suddenly, Antoine came running up to her in a panic.  
"Prinzess Sally, PRINZESS SALLY! Zhe Winged Fortress has been spotted! It's heading zhis way!" the French fox screamed. But Sally did not need to be told that, the Wing Fortress had just made its way over the horizon. As she saw it come, and saw the first legions of Silver-SWATbots emerge from the foliage, Sally uttered the word she'd been afraid to say since this whole thing started.  
"ATTACK!!!!"  
  
***  
  
Sonic continued on the strange pathway the Walkers had made for him. He'd run into unfriendlies a lot in the beginning, but had figured out that if he stayed in the center, they pretty much left him alone. The path seemed to be almost an exact replica of the zone where he'd had to get the Giant's Hand. It seemed only to be two dimensional, with only a void on either side, filled with what appeared to be junk. He'd seen things with only one eye, and things with millions of eyes, and any number of other weird creatures. While the adventurous side of him said to explore this new zone, he knew he'd only have a short while to get whatever tool he'd been sent for.  
He finally came to what appeared to be a temple to some ancient god. The place was literally floating, and looked deserted. As the hedgehog approached the temple, its torches all suddenly sparked to life, as if someone had been expecting him. He raced inside, only to discover that the golden path he'd been traveling still directed him forward, to a huge door. Sonic cautiously opened the door, not knowing what to expect. What he found shocked him.  
There, floating right above an altar, in a circle were seven elongated emeralds. At first, Sonic thought these were Chaos emeralds, but realized they were off color and too oddly shaped. He turned to look for anything else in the room when something even more shocking happened.  
*Who dares to disturb our tranquility?* said the lead emerald, right into Sonic's mind. Not knowing what to think of this, Sonic replied as best he could.  
"I, Sonic Hedgehog."  
*You are the one whom the mighty Ancient Walkers have sent to us in your time of need?" the lead emerald said again.  
"Y-yeah, I suppose you could say that," Sonic answered.  
*If the Ancient Walkers have decreed us help you, Sonic Hedgehog, then prepare to receive our aid; if not, prepare to die," the emeralds said in unison. Then they began to twirl faster and faster, moving around Sonic and getting brighter and brighter. The hedgehog could feel their power as his body's molecules began to excite and tug as if being pulled apart.  
"Wait a minute," Sonic said, terrified that he'd somehow failed his friends, "What are you? What's happenin' to me?"  
*We are what are known to one and all as The Super Chaos Emeralds, Sonic Hedgehog, and you have been given a great gift to aid you in your fight." All Sonic saw was the light as it became too bright for him to look.  
  
***  
  
Aboard the Wing Fortress, or more specifically inside the mind of the Silver Fox, Tails watched through his jailer's eyes as the robots battled the Freedom Fighters. The vulpine had reached the main driver program, and had been able to add himself as a permanent feature of the algorithm. Silver Fox was too busy enjoying the carnage to notice him. Tails marveled at how that, when he'd entered the drivers section, it looked tremendously like Robotnik's command center in Robotropolis. Silver Fox himself was sitting at the chair, commanding the invincible body they were both in. The fox had been surprised at how much they looked alike, and hoped Silver Fox would have nothing sweeping the room for intruders.   
But why should he, when he had so many defenses before getting here. Right now, Tails was trying to find a way to disrupt Silver Fox's operation. Being sure to stay out of his enemy's peripheral vision, Tails began to search all the control panels. That was when he realized, Silver Fox's eyes were closed, yet the controls all seemed to be moving.   
*Of course,* the young vulpine thought, *This is HIS mind right now. He can control the body with his thoughts..* suddenly, a wicked looking smile spreads across Tails's face. *Which means he probably wouldn't even know if I were here if I walked right up.* With a new sense of security, Tails quickly begins to search for the console that would disrupt Silver Fox once more. His eyes soon fell upon a console in the corner of the virtual room, one which moved its controls more than any other. Tails made his decision.  
  
***  
  
The fight had begun. In Sally's mind, however, it looked more like a slaughter. While they did fight valiantly and as a cohesive unit, the Freedom Fighters were no match for the raw power of a seemingly limitless supply robots from the Wing Fortress. Added to this was the fact that Silver Fox had forged a disciplined and well organized army of the disorganized robots he'd so recently taken over. And because they were grossly outnumbered, the Freedom Fighters could only barely create a dent in their enemies' numbers. And, to make matters worse, Silver Fox himself had not yet shown up, which meant he was a wild card Sally couldn't predict.   
"Princess," came Rotor's voice, "I think you're going to have to go to more drastic measures. If Silver Fox isn't here, then our trap is for nothing."  
"I know, Rotor. Tell our people to fall back behind the treelines. You have five minutes."  
"Yes ma'm!"  
As Sally watched with grim determination, her friends retreated back to the trees before the cave. The squirrel prayed everyone had made it, since she could no longer wait for them. Grabbing Nicole, she then made her commands.  
"Nicole, arm detonators."  
"Arming Sally."  
"DETONATE."  
  
***  
  
Silver Fox heard it, in fact the whole island heard it. A giant explosion from directly below the fortress.   
"What happened down there, Tane!?!?!?!?!?" the metallic mammal demanded.  
"The Freedom Fighters, they planted explosions all over the field, my lord. It took out most of my forces."  
"Very clever, Sally," Silver Fox mused, "I'm through leaving this to chance. Assemble my Strike Force, I'm going down there to personally extract my pound of flesh."  
"Yes sir."  
  
***  
  
For a few brief moments, Antoine had been relieved. He'd gotten off the field in time, and turned back to see the satisfying sight of robot parts littering the place. That's when he saw the Wing Fortress up above, opening its doors to release the new and improved badniks: Catakiller, Bat-Brain, Splatts, Octo-bot I, Jaws, Catakiller Jr., Buzzbomber, and Moto-bug. The robots wasted no time in attacking the Freedom Fighters, but this was not what scared Antoine most. What scared him the most was that Silver Fox himself had emerged, which meant big trouble. As the robot flew toward the cave, Antoine chased after him, hoping Sally could hold Silver Fox off until he got there.  
  
***  
  
Sally saw the incoming attacker, and prepared as best she could. To her surprise, though, instead of attacking, Silver Fox merely landed in front of her.  
"I must commend your ruthlessness Sally. I truthfully did not think you had it in you to destroy an entire field. But now, I must ask you to step aside," came Silver Fox's oh so smug voice.  
"It's not gonna happen murderer," Sally replied, in as brave a voice as she could. "I know what you're after and you're not getting it."  
And this Silver Fox made a metallic laugh. "Do you actually think you can stop me Princess?"  
"Let me put it this way, do you think I would try?" For a few moments, Silver Fox, Lord of the Wing Fortress and its resident robots, stared eye to eye with Sally Allicia, Princess and current head of the House of Acorn, in a battle of wills. Neither side gained nor gave as cold metallic eyes met the determined stare of fiery blue eyes. Muscles and hydraulic limbs tensed, ready at a moments notice to pounce at any sign of weakness.  
"I truly believe you would," said the robotic fox, realizing that, for all his superior technology and weapons, he could not intimidate her. "Very well then, prepare to die."  
  
***  
  
Tails had to give his "Aunt" credit, if he'd been in her position, he probably would have fainted. That was when he saw both the controls for the tentacles and the quantum energy laser move and realized that Silver Fox would attack Sally if he didn't figure out how to operate everything real quickly.  
  
***  
  
"NOW BUNNIE!!!" All of a sudden, Bunnie Rabbot jumped tackling Silver Fox with all her might and trying to hold him down  
"You think you can stop me, you robot wannabe? I moped the floor with you last time, and this time will be no different."  
"Maybe so, sugar, but ya'll can't be sure o' anythin' in this life," saying this, Bunnie attached a small magnetic disk to the back of Silver Fox's neck, then quickly jumped off. "All right Sally, let 'er rip."  
"Nicole, start the electro-magnetic pulses!" Sally exclaimed as her hand-held computer complied. All of a sudden, the disk glows and Silver Fox begins to feel its effect.  
"Digital software compromised," he said as the Princess and Bunnie smiled. That was when he pulled out a surprise they had not counted on. "Anti-magnetic defense system has come on line." From Silver Fox's head, bolts of green energy attacked the offending disk, destroying it in the process. Now, fully in control of his body once more, Silver Fox continued his assault.  
"Big mistake, girls. Prepare to say good-bye," Silver Fox jumped at Bunnie, ready to tear her apart as she crouched into a more defensible position. That was when they all heard the sound of an intruder.  
"CHAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGE," came a familiar French accent. Running towards the three was Antoine, of all people.  
"What do you want, coward?" Silver Fox said jauntily as Antoine drew his sword.  
"I will not allow you to harm zhe ladies, you fowel beaste!" Antoine said in defiance, ready to fight to the death if need be. "If you want zhem, you shall have to come therue moi."  
"That's almost exactly what that dumb tiger said before I killed him," Silver Fox grinned maliciously. "Prepare to meet the same fate fox-knight." With the speed of summer lightening, Silver Fox's engines rocket him towards his target, as his deadly blades prepare for their strike. All of a sudden, Silver Fox jerks back just before striking, to the bewilderment of all.   
"No one dies today you jerk," Silver Fox said, but it was not his voice that spoke, it was Tails's.  
"YOU! How did you get back here?" Silver Fox yelled, seemingly to himself.  
"Tails, what happened?" Sally said, bewildered. Still struggling internally with Silver Fox, Tails could only answer her in gasps.  
"Finally made it.... to his main... programs. Inserted... self into... his programs... and attacked him. Sally, you've got to... get out of... here."  
"Face it kid, you don't have the strength to beat me," Silver Fox said, once more heading for Antoine with his deadly bladed attack.  
"Sorry Ant," Tails said as the blades retracted, "this is the best I can do." With that, Silver Fox/Tails hit Antoine, sending him flying to safety.  
  
***  
  
"Give it up kid, ya can't win," Silver Fox said in the virtual battleground of his mind.  
"And let you kill my friends, never you coward," Tails retorted, grabbing the controls for Silver Fox's quantum energy lasers. Silver Fox, of course, refused to take this lying down, and lunged at his young opponent, knocking him away from the controls, then following it up with an energy blast.  
"Even if I can't kill you, you'll never save your friends' pathetic lives runt," Silver Fox said, turning towards the laser controls.   
"You forgot something Silver Fox. In this world, if you can do it, so CAN I!!" and with that, Tails loosed a huge blast from his fists, which sent the evil robot ramming into a virtual wall. "Maybe next time you won't." He soon goes back to work trying to regain control of his body, oblivious to Silver Fox, who delivers an uppercut sending Tails back.  
"The difference between you and I, cub, is that I know more tricks of the trade, such as this marvelous little command," a bright orb appears in Silver Fox's hands, "FREEZE PROGRAM!!!" A few quick hand gestures later, and the orb rockets towards Tails, striking the vulpine and freezing him in place. With that done, Silver Fox returns to his command chair, carefully noting when the command would wear off.  
  
***  
  
"Tails, are you all right in there?" Sally asked, worried as about why the robotic body had not moved since Tails's last communiqué. As she started to approach, a metallic hand grabbed her wrist.  
"He had to take a powder squirrel-girl, but you perfectly free to play with me." A cruel smile appeared on Silver Fox's face, but Sally was not yet ready to call it quits.  
"That's too bad, then I wouldn't have to do this." As she said this, the squirrel dropped to the ground and delivered what could be called an upper-kick. The result of this was that Silver Fox, taken off guard by this attack, let her go. Bunnie, who was behind the vulpine, grabbed his arm and threw him as hard as she could. Unfortunately, Silver Fox was ready for that, and landed on his feet, leaping and tackling the robo-rabbit. This, combined with the fact that Silver Fox gained extra thrust with his rockets, ended with the fem-bunny getting smashed into the wall of the cavern and loosing consciousness.  
"Looks like you've run all out of friends Princess," said the metallic fox, as he walked towards the squirrel. Suddenly, Sally pulled out Nicole and fired her laser, which Silver Fox's shield did absorb. The laser did, however, distract him enough for Sally connect with a spinning side-kick. As she went for a second, though, a tentacle caught her and tossed her at the cavern wall.  
"It doesn't matter if you kill me, machine, as long as one animal lives, you will be opposed."  
"I'm shaking in my pistons," Silver Fox said as he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her. "Say good-bye, pest."  
"Good-bye, PEST!" came a voice in defiance, which was directly followed by and golden streak ramming him through the opposite wall.  
"Who, what, HOW?" Silver Fox said, stunned that some one had escaped his notice.  
"Ya fergot where an' why, robo-junk. But I'll let ya have 'em anyway," the familiar voice said above Silver Fox, as the blur slowed down and stopped, revealing: Sonic the Hedgehog. "Guess who's baaaaack."  
"Sonic!!" Sally exclaimed joyously.  
"I don't know what you think your going to accomplish, hedge-rat. I beat both Super-Sonic AND Hyper Knuckles, what makes you think you can beat me alone, SUPER-Sonic?" Silver Fox said, getting airborne to face the golden hedgehog on equal terms. He was puzzled that his sensors practically screamed Sonic was more powerful than he should be.  
"Nothing, dummy, but ya see, I ain't Super-Sonic. I'm only Super-Sonic when I'm empowered by the Chaos Emeralds. But, thanks to some help from the ol' guys (the Ancient Walkers), I've found the SUPER Chaos Emeralds, so say hello to ULTRA-SONIC." So saying Ultra-Sonic attacked again moving so fast as to create four holographic images trailing behind him. Thinking Ultra-Sonic was going to ram him again, Silver Fox deftly moved out of the way only to be hit from behind by an energy beam.   
"I hope you like it, SF, I call it my Chaos Beam, something you can't absorb," Ultra-Sonic said as Silver Fox righted his orientation. Ultra-Sonic's cockiness was then rewarded, he felt the full force of his opponent's quantum energy lasers. "Uh."  
"What's the matter, Ultra-Sonic, you can dish it out but you can't take it?"  
"Oh I can take it all right. The question is can you." So saying Ultra-Sonic let loose with another blast of chaos power, which was promptly met with Silver Fox's lasers. The two beams fought against each other, neither gaining nor loosing ground as each gladiator placed more and more energy into the fight. Deciding it was time to end the stalemate, both let loose two more weapons. From Ultra-Sonic's eyes came a power blast, which in turn was met with Silver Fox's antimatter warheads. It was then that Silver Fox ducked out of the way, ending the contest.  
"Why am I wasting my time with you, when the real prize awaits in yon cave?" said Silver Fox, who sped into the cave. Ultra-Sonic prepared to follow, when Sally caught his attention.  
"Sonic, chase Silver Fox but don't stop him."  
"Sal, are you feelin' all right? Don't ya know he's after the Master Emerald?"  
"Why does everyone think I'm crazy? Sonic, we set a trap for Silver Fox, and you could add loads to the credibility of this. Think you can act well?"  
"We'll see, won't we?" Ultra-Sonic stated as he gave chase to his quarry.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, inside the Caverns of Fire and Ice, Silver Fox was closing in on his quarry. He soon entered a huge cavern, where the walls were glazed with ice, yet also pouring with lava. And there, resting on a small island in a large pool of lava, was his prize, the Master Chaos Emerald. Readying his Chaos Siphon, Silver Fox slowly traveled to the emerald. Out of nowhere, Knuckles appeared, blocking his path.  
"STOP!! As the Guardian of the Floating Island and the Chaos Emeralds contained therein, I cannot allow you to steal the powers of the Master Chaos Emerald." The echidna spoke in brave words, but Silver Fox's sensors told him the Knuckles's adrenaline levels were through the roof.  
"Why is it everyone thinks they can dictate to me what I can and cannot do? If I want that emerald's powers, then I will have them."  
"Over my dead and rotting corpse," Knuckles said defiantly.  
"Your wish is my command," Silver Fox said, aiming as laser at the young echidna.  
"Then I wish you'd get lost and bring my little buddy home," Ultra-Sonic said, hitting Silver Fox with some Chaos energy to stop Silver Fox. Knowing that he had to make this look hard, Ultra-Sonic rammed Silver Fox, knocking him back into one of Knuckles's ever famous uppercuts. Silver Fox broke their attack by grabbing Knuckles and hurling him into Ultra-Sonic. As the two tried to disentangle themselves, Silver Fox bolted for the emerald, only to be attacked by Ultra-Sonic. The two grappled, but even with his new enhanced speed and power level, Ultra-Sonic was not Silver Fox's equal in physical strength. It was no surprise that Silver Fox was able to easily throw Ultra-Sonic, but by then, Knuckles was back in his face. Using more of a strike and run tactic, Knuckles was able to keep Silver Fox from continuing, but only till a tentacle wrapped itself around him. Hitting on a way to get them both out of his proverbial hair, Silver Fox threw Knuckles to a lava pool at a velocity that prevented him from stopping, forcing Ultra-Sonic to go save his comrade.   
As he landed next to the emerald, Silver Fox lowered his shield, ready to absorb the Chaos powers. Suddenly, he heard the familiar voice of Doctor Robotnik yell, "NOW ENERJAK!!!" Two beams of energy hit Silver Fox's feet, holding them there as what his sensors displayed as plasma generators became active. The facade of the Master Emerald left revealing the deroboticizor.  
"Hold him Enerjak, I need time to do this right."  
"I'm holding him Robotnik, but it's not going to be easy."  
"You are correct sir," Silver Fox said as his rockets engaged at wide spread.  
"Sonic, help me, hold him down with your powers too," Enerjak commanded. Using his Chaos Beam, Ultra-Sonic complied, attempting to force Silver Fox to stay still.  
"You're both fools. Did you really think I didn't detect the plasma generators, and know something was up? Now watch and learn." With a mighty burst from his rockets, Silver Fox broke free as the deroboticizor let loose its beam. Flying higher into the cavern, Silver Fox headed for what he knew must be there.  
"No, don't let him get to the emerald!" Knuckles cried.  
"You hid the emerald in the roof of the cavern," Enerjak screamed as he and Ultra-Sonic sent blast after blast rocketing towards Silver Fox, "How dumb can you be?"  
"There wasn't enough time to move it." The blasts all missed their marks, and Silver Fox reached the emerald.  
"That was a mistake you'll forever regret, echidna, or at least for the thirty seconds left to you anyway," came the metallic voice as its owner began the Chaos Siphon. Soon, the Master Emerald was merely a black husk, while Silver Fox himself began to glow an emerald green.  
"Yeeeeeeess. The power.... the absolute POWER," Silver Fox suddenly began to grow and, knowing they'd be crushed if the he didn't, Enerjak teleported Robotnik, Knuckles, Ultra-Sonic, himself, the emerald husk, and the deroboticizor to the outside. Soon, Silver Fox out grew the cavern and busted out in an impressive display. "Only one has the ability to change reality with the force of mind. And I am that force, I have that POWER. Power enough to make me Master of ALL THE UNIVERSE!!!!"   
"By all that is good," Sally said as the entire world seemed to pause, "How can we stop him now?"  
"Leave, my robot allies, return to the Wing Fortress and await my further instructions."  
Ultra-Sonic racked his brain thinking of a way to stop the new, improved Silver Fox. As the robots left, returning to the Wing Fortress as ordered, a memory and a thought crossed his mind.  
*The fission/fusion reactor keeps pouring energy into ol' SF's circuits. But the Master Emerald 'sposed ta have unlimited power, which he's now got. I've got it!*   
"Yo SF, I guess now that you've got the power of the Master Emerald, ya might just stand a bit of a chance against us." This most certainly got Silver Fox's attention, as he turned towards Ultra-Sonic with a loud footfall.  
"You are either extremely arrogant, or extremely foolish, Ultra-Sonic. Surely you must realize that, with the merest thought on my part, you could be reduced to cinders."  
"Yeah, yeah, that and a dime 'll getcha a cup o' coffee. The truth is, you couldn't beat us as your normal self, so maybe this 'll even tha odds," Ultra-Sonic said, ready to move at a second's notice. Sure enough, a bolt of raw power crashed into the spot where the golden blur had been standing previously. "Ooooh, nice shot Robin Hood, maybe next time you'll try aimin'."  
"I have all eternity to destroy you Ultra-Sonic, don't worry." Silver Fox said, aiming more blasts at the hedgehog. And so it began, with Silver Fox blasting bolts of increasingly more powerful energy while Ultra-Sonic dodged. Hoping she understood what he was doing, Sally followed Ultra-Sonic's lead. Soon, everyone had joined in, still not knowing what Ultra-Sonic had in mind, but realizing he must have a plan. This went on for about thirty minutes, until Silver Fox suddenly doubled-over as if in pain.  
"ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed. Ultra-Sonic landed, a smile on his face.  
"Finally," was all he said.  
"What...What's happening... to me?" Silver Fox asked.  
"Ya can't pour ten pounds of flour into a one pound bag," Ultra-Sonic answered.  
"Sonic, what are you talking about?" Sally asked.  
"It's his reactor. It's pumping him with energy same as the emerald. His circuits can't handle two sources of limitless power, so he's going into a meltdown," came Ultra-Sonic's reply. Then to Silver Fox he said, "Yo SF. If ya don't give back the powers ya stole from the Master Emerald, yer body 'll blow, and take everything, including your robotic army, with it."  
Silver Fox looked at Ultra-Sonic skeptically for a minute, but soon realized the truth. He didn't want to die, or for his followers to die too.   
"I swear I will make you pay for this hedgehog, I'll make you pay with your life and the lives of all you hold dear," said Silver Fox. Grasping the emerald, Silver Fox began to channel his energies back to it. Unbeknownst to him, Robotnik was ready and, as soon as the last of the Master Emerald's energies were returned, fired his deroboticizor at the now defenseless Silver Fox.  
"Now who's laughing, you metallic moron?" Robotnik yelled as Silver Fox began to slowly transform back into Tails.  
"Enjoy... your... victory... Freedom... Fighters. For... I... will... return,... and... next... time... you... will... not... be... so... lucky," were Silver Fox's final words as his transformation ended. For its part, the Wing Fortress disappeared, much to the relief of the victors, though all knew it would surely return again.  
"Vital signs... normal. Brain activity... normal. It seems young Tails has been completely transformed." Robotnik said, then suddenly raised a laser to the unconscious fox. "Now to make sure this never happens again." Before he could fire, a scaly green hand grabbed his own in a vice-like grip. The hand, of course, belonged to the Ancient Walker, First.  
"*ENOUGH,*" he commanded, as his two compatriots flanked Enerjak as well. "*THERE HAST BEEN ENOUGH LOSS OF LIFE THIS DAY. THOU AND THY AUTOMATONS SHALT RETURN TO THY CITY IMMEDIATELY.*" With this said, Robotnik and his SWATbots began to glow and then disappear, presumably to reappear in Robotropolis.  
"*THOU DOST HAVEST A CHOICE, DIMITRI. THOU WERT NOT SUPPOSED TO ESCAPE FROM THY PRISON YET. THOU MAYEST RETURN THERE UNTIL THAT TIME COMEST, OR THOU CANST FORFEIT THY POWERS TO STAY WHERE THOU ART PRESENTLY. WHICH IS THY BIDDING?*" Second and Third said in unison. Enerjak could feel the power of these three, and silently swore to make it his own, and thus could tell these were not the kind of people one messed with.  
"I choose to return to my tower." With that Enerjak too disappeared, leaving only Knuckles and the Freedom Fighters with the Ancient Walkers. The trio walked over to Sonic and slowly his Chaos powers began to drain from him, and he returned to his normal shade of blue.  
"*THOU HAS ALL FOUGHT VALIANTLY AGAINST A FOE MANY TIMES GREATER THAN THEE,*" said First and Second. Third bent over Tails's body and place a glowing hand over the vulpine's face.  
"*WE CANST NOT, HOWEVER, ALLOW THE YOUNG PROWER TO RETAIN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHAOS SIPHON, LEST THE SILVER FOX USE IT AGAIN NEXT TIME,*" he said.  
"Whoa, what do ya mean next time?" Sonic asked. "We beat him, there's no way SF's commin' back."  
"*THOU WOULDST BE A FOOL TO BELIEVE THIS, SONIC, FOR SILVER FOX IS FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN THAT. HE IST A PART OF YOUNG PROWER, HIS OWN DARK AND EVIL SIDE, YET EVERY BIT AS REAL AS YOU OR I. THOU CANNOT DEFEAT HIM SO EASILY.*"  
"Easy, EASY. You think that was easy. Takin' on Robuttnik, that's easy, this guy was just plain nuts. And how will Silver Fox get back anyway?"  
"*THOU WILLST LEARN SOON ENOUGH, SONIC, THOU WILLST LEARN SOON ENOUGH,*" is all the Ancient Walkers say before disappearing themselves, leaving the Freedom Fighters to contemplate their words.  
  
***  
EPILOGUE:  
  
A few days later, inside the office of Dr. Quack, Sonic and Sally sit as the duck doctor examines Tails.  
"Well my boy, it seems you're fit as fiddle, aside from the fatigue. If you'll just wait for a few minutes, I have to talk to Sonic and Sally for a minute in the other room." That said, the three "adults" go into the next room.  
"Okay doc," Tails's voice followed up.  
"Sonic, Sally. I didn't want to say this in front of Tails and scare him, but I think you should have a look at this." A projection appears, showing what appears to be a machine on a red background.  
"Doc, what're we lookin' at?" Sonic asked.  
"This is a sample of Tails's blood," the doctor answered. Then pointing at the little machine, he continued, "and that is a nannite robot."  
"What's it doing in Tails's blood, Dr. Quack?" the Princess asked.  
"Well, nothing right now, none of them in his whole body are doing much except replicating to replace destroyed ones. Apparently, these robots shouldn't pose a threat to young Tails on a day to day basis. However, if exposed to a combination of air, adrenaline, and plasmids, they're going to activate, repairing any and all damaged tissue instantaneously."  
"Well that doesn't sound so bad Doc."  
"If that were all I'd agree, but the nannites don't shut off, they replace the damaged cells with machinery then move on to the healthy parts. The end result is that in a matter of moments, the entire body is completely roboticized."  
"Can't you remove them?"  
"Normally yes, but these things have lodged themselves and their factories into too many key places in too many key systems in Tails's body. They've even worked their way into his genetic code. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. On the bright side, this renders Tails's virtually unkillable except by old age." This last comment only receives glares from Sonic and Sally. "Tough audience. Well, aside from that, Tails is free to go, though I want you to tell me if anything happens."  
"Thanks doctor."  
"Yeah, thanks doc, we'll keep ya up ta date."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
At night, Tails is sleeping peacefully in his hut, totally oblivious to Sonic watching him through the window. The nightmares had finally stopped for Tails, and he was sleeping soundly, but the hedgehog couldn't help but wonder if his own nightmares would end. Sonic sadly turned and started to walk the streets of Knothole, ending up at the Power Ring pond.  
"Couldn't sleep, could you?" a voice asks, startling Sonic. He turns to find Princess Sally standing there.  
"No, I guess not."  
"Me neither. You're thinking about what Dr. Quack said, aren't you, and how it relates to the Ancient Walkers' warning."  
"A little. It's just that, every time I look at my little buddy, I can't help but also see Silver Fox there too. It scares me to think what might have happened to us if we'd failed."  
"Why Sonic Hedgehog, can it possibly be that you actually thinking about consequences?"  
"Very funny Sal, but I'm serious. We could barely handle the guy this time, and next time we might not be so lucky."  
"Sonic, listen to me. If you spend all your time worrying about this, you'll never be ready for him. We're just going to have to cross that bridge when we come to it."  
"I guess yer right Sal. I just wish there was somethin' more I could do for the lil' guy."  
"Sonic, all you have to do is treat him like Tails, and not be afraid of him simply because Silver Fox also lives in his body."  
"Yeah, yer right. Thanks a lot for the advice Princess. Ya really put my mind at ease." With that Sonic got up to go to bed, leaving Sally to contemplate her thoughts.  
"I wish someone would ease mine," she said as she looked up at the First Moon of Mobius. She had once thought it to the prettiest of all Mobius's moons, but its silvery color brought forth only the image of Silver Fox's evil face staring down on her and laughing at her veil of security. Her mind, though, reminded her that Silver Fox was gone, and Tails was home. This offered comfort in the idea that, as long as Tails was with them, the terror of Robotnik's greatest creation would not return. She went back to her hut, and slept soundly, for the first night in many months. And also, for the first time in many months, she dreamed peacefully, with no intrusion and no thought of the terror she and her friends had faced, though the back of her mind knew that sooner or later, she, and all her friends would once more have to face; The Silver Fox.  
  
The End.  
  
  
  
Page 32  



	4. Metallic

Disclaimer: The cast of crazies normally found in Archie's Sonic comic belong to their respective owners and are used without permission. Please don't sue me for using them.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay for this story, you would not believe the kind of problems I have been having completing this story. E- mail me if you like it.  
  
************************************************************************ Timeline: 2 months after the events recounted by the Silver Fox trilogy ************************************************************************ Prologue ************************************************************************  
  
He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, which was a considerable distance considering they were, much like the rest of his body, robotic. This would seem to insure his escape from whatever was chasing him, except for one small fact; his pursuers were robotic as well.  
His designation was E.P. 62, Experimental Prototype number 62, but he much more preferred the name he had chosen four years before; Metallic. He was a robot fox, patterned after a full-sized adult fox, but he wasn't even sure if that had been what he originally was before Robotnik had destroyed his life. His memories of anything before he'd awoken as a robot were almost totally scrambled, and all he knew for sure was that Robotnik had horribly wronged him.  
The sound of metal smashing into wood signaled the presence of the squad of five Combots that had been doggedly tailing him for the past half year, replacing the SWATbots that had previously been assigned to capture him. The SWATs had been allot easier to evade, giving him time to stop and repair anything that had been broken in the chase. The Combots, though, had proven themselves unstoppable, unshakable, and totally unrelenting, keeping him running since they'd picked up his trail.  
*If I don't find some way to lose those things, my body will be too worn out to run any more,* Metallic thought to himself. The crashing sounds were getting closer all the time as the Combots began to overtake their quarry, pointing out the urgency of finding a way out of his predicament. Suddenly, the metal fox spied an unusually tall tree whose top easily broke the canopy of the forest. Running to it, Metallic began to quickly climb all the while commanding his back to open up, revealing the gliding wings he'd had installed during one of his successful evasions of the SWATbots. Just as he reached the top of the tree, the Combots broke through and spotted him. A single jump, and the mecha-fox was airborne amid a hail of laser fire, which he didn't bother to return. He knew that his wrist-mounted laser torch had neither the range nor the power to inflict any damage on the heavily armored Combots. The flyer dodged the offending laser-fire as best he could, rolling and ducking through the air, but luck can be both good and bad, as one shot finally connected, damaging Metallic and sending him tumbling towards the hard ground.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
From a distance, a lone figure watched the conflict with great interest. As Metallic fell through the sky into what surely would be his capture, the figure raised a hand from beneath his cloak. The hand began to glow an electric blue as a clear light-blue bubble formed around the falling robo-fox, shifting his trajectory ever so slightly until he was no longer falling to the ground, and thus the waiting arms of the Combots. With an audible splash of water, Metallic slammed into the river, which began to swiftly carry him away from danger. A quiet laugh emanated from the cloaked figure, and then, in a small flash of light he was gone.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Metallic didn't know how he'd ended up in the river, but he was grateful, even as he felt the damage he'd incurred threatening to take him off-line. He quickly grabbed on to a nearby log in order to stay a float, praying he'd get out of this alive.  
*If I can't get out of here soon,* metallic thought, feeling the water flowing into his damaged body, *the only thing I'll be able to do is hold down paper.*  
  
************************************************************************ METALLIC by Cale Kuecker ************************************************************************  
  
It was a lovely day in the Great Forest. The sky was clear, the sun shown brightly, and it was neither too hot nor too cold. Tails loved days like this, when the day made him almost forget he was in the middle of a war. The young kit found himself almost skipping as he made his way towards one of the many rivers that fed the forest, almost hitting himself with the large water bucket he carried.  
When he'd asked Rosie if there was anything he could help her with today, he didn't think he would be fetching some live water lilies from the river. Nor could he guess why she needed the lilies in the first place. As the young fox began to carefully uproot the first lily, he noticed something floating down the river, covered in broken vegetation. It seemed to be barely moving, struggling to maintain a grip on the log. Not wanting to see whoever it was drown, Tails quickly flew out to the floating log, grabbing hold and towing the thing to the shore. As the kit began to tear away the vines that covered the water-logged creature, he began to notice how hard it was. When he finally uncovered the face, Tails was startled to see instead of a flesh and fur face, there was a steel faceplate. He was even more surprised when a hand grabbed his ankle, and the robot's eyes opened, glowing an eerie green color. But nothing could have prepared Tails for what happened next.  
"Heeeelp, meeee..." The robot, which Tails could now recognize as a fox, pleaded in a weak metallic voice. Tails's first instinct was to run, but something stopped him. Tails looked down at the ground that was now polluted by leaking oils of every variety. Even if he was an enemy, without help this robot would die, and Tails heart screamed that he wouldn't want that to happen. And the young fox had never heard of one of Robotnik's robots pleading for help. His mind made up, Tails grabbed the robo-fox's arms and began to drag him to a safer place.  
  
***  
  
Sonic was bored. The Freedom Fighter meetings were often dull, but nothing could be duller than listening to Antoine go over the best ways to disable a SWATbot. What made it worse was that it was obsolete information, especially for him. Robotnik was replacing the SWATs with the Combots, and pretty soon, no one would need to remember how to disable a SWATbot.  
*If something doesn't happen soon, I'm gonna start beggin' Buttnik to roboticize me.* Sonic thought to himself. He couldn't even go to sleep because Antoine's voice was too irritating. Suddenly, something else caught the blue hedgehog's attention. Someone outside was calling, and it was getting louder.  
"SONIC! ROTOR! AUNT SALLY!" came the voice, which Sonic suddenly realized was his little buddy's. Running over to the hut's window, Sonic looked for the small fox, seeing him flying up the road, looking very agitated. Sonic then looked over to Rotor, and, seeing the walrus was asleep, ran out to see what Tails needed.  
"Yo, big guy, what's the matter?"  
"Sonic you'll never guess what I found by Green River. It looks like a robian, only its badly damaged."  
"What? You didn't bring it back here did you?" Sonic asked.  
"I'm not that dumb, I took him to Marble Gardens and hid him in one of the ruins there. But if we don't get him fixed soon he's not gonna make it."  
"Okay, hold on a minute while I round up Sally and Rotor, and you can take us to the robot."  
  
*****  
  
In ten minutes all four Freedom Fighters were inside the ruin Tails had hidden Metallic. Rotor and Sally were busy looking over the now no longer leaking android, while Sonic kept an eye out for any Combots.  
"Well," began Rotor, "after completing an inspection of this guy, I have an announcement. This is no roboticized Mobian."  
"What are you talking about Rot?" Sonic asked, suddenly interested.  
"I mean that this robot never went through the roboticizor. Robotnik built him from the ground up." Rotor motions them all other to the robot's open chest cavity, "As near as I can tell, his body mimics a living body." He points at a gizmo, "This is supposed to be his power center, and over there are his lungs. I won't know more till I get a chance to repair him back at Knothole."  
"There may be a way to find out something about him. If his memory is still on-line, I can have Nicole access it. I just need to link to its CPU." So saying Sally walks over to the robot's head, pressing a small button on its neck. "This should open..."  
"Access panel unlocked," drones a mechanical voice, as the top of the mecha-fox's head opens.  
"Now, I just plug Nicole in heeeeee.... Aahhhhhhhhh!!" Hearing Sally scream, Sonic runs to her and sees what she sees.  
"By Chaota...." By this time Tails and Rotor have also come and see that inside the robot's head, pulsing with cyberorganic attachments, under a clear dome, is a living brain.  
"Nicole, please tell me that isn't what I think it is."  
"I'm afraid I can't do that Sally. All scans indicate that the object is a brain, augmented with cybernetic implants. It also appears to be vulpine in nature."  
"You mean that thing has a brain just like mine?" Tails asked, more than a little repulsed by this fact.  
"It looks like it, sweetie," Sally replied, "Nicole, can you still interface with this robot?"  
"Cursory evaluation of cybernetic implants indicate they were designed to allow communication between the brain and a computer, most likely the mainframe of Robotropolis and..."  
"In common Mobian Nicole?" Sonic complained.  
"I believe I can link with the robot, though it is uncertain what data can be retrieved."  
"Link up Nicole," came Sally's command. Soon a long cord extended from the top of the little palmtop, connecting to a corresponding hole in the robot's cyber-brain. Quiet beeps could be heard as the two machines began communicating. Suddenly, Nicole began to rapidly project pictures, changing images too fast for the others to see.  
"Nicole, please slow down, we're not able to keep up with this light- speed pace."  
"I'm sorry Sally, but this robot's memory is fragmented, and I am currently searching for something that has not been damaged." Suddenly, the pictures stopped. "I have located an image that seems the least damaged of what I've seen. Shall I display it for you?"  
"Do it." Soon Nicole begins to replay the scene of Metallic being attacked by the Combots. Once the scene ends, a new scene begins, starting with Robotnik behind what appears to be glass.  
"Well, well 62, it appears the operation has been a success. You are the first experiment to survive." Suddenly, another voice, strange to all the Freedom Fighters is heard.  
"What... What has happened? Where am I?" Robotnik smiles.  
"You are in my head..." Suddenly the image stops.  
"It is possible that I can reconstruct more memory if I attempt to go deeper into his mind."  
"Don't go too deep Nicole, I don't want you deleting anything by accident." As Nicole begins, Rotor finishes temporarily patching the leaks all over Metallic. Suddenly, the robot begins to scream, as does Nicole, while the connection between the two begins to spark.  
"They're overloading each other," Rotor yells, "If they off-line we could lose both of them."  
"Nicole disengage!" Yells Sally. Nicole is unable to respond, and so Sally begins to pull the cord, which itself refuses to give.  
"Stand back Sal, I'm gonna try to cut their cord." So saying, Sonic goes into a spin severing the connection between Nicole and Metallic. As the smoke clears, Sally begins to check Nicole while Rotor deals with the robot fox.  
"Nicole should be all right, her circuit-breakers tripped and saved her. How is the fox Rotor?"  
"It doesn't look like there is anymore damage than before, but we won't know till we fix him."  
"You mean we're actually going to take this guy back with us?" Sonic asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"  
"We have to, Sonic. Too many questions remain unanswered about this thing. Robotnik said it was an experiment, I want to know what he was planning before this one escaped Robotropolis," explained Rotor. "He won't survive much longer on the slipshod repairs we've made. He still needs help so if we're gonna do anything, we need to do it in the next few hours."  
"Uncle Chuck'd probably know how to patch this guy up," Sonic interjected.  
"Good thinking, Sonic," Sally said, "Go tell Chuck we need him, we'll get our friend here back to Rotor's workshop." With that, Sonic took off leaving the others to gather up the wounded robot.  
  
************************************  
  
Three hours later finds Rotor looking over pieces of the now disassembled Metallic. The robot's brain and life-support are currently hooked up to the Knothole powergrid, which is easily keeping him alive. Tails is also present, using his natural talent with machines to assist Rotor. Dr. Quack is also there, watching over the readouts on Metallic's vitals in case something goes wrong. All over the room are charts showing the different organs and bodily systems of foxes, with which Rotor seems to be comparing his patient's different parts. Suddenly, Sally walks in, minus Nicole.  
"So, how is it going Rotor?" asked Sally.  
"This is so fascinating, Princess. My theory about this guy's body is right. Every system seems to be a mechanical copy of an organic counterpart," Rotor said, beaming with pride, "I still don't understand some of this. Like the power core."  
"What do you mean?" asked Sally, walking over to the robot's open chest for a better look.  
"Look here." Rotor points to a small machine with few wires attached to it. "As near as I can tell, this is supposed to be the power source for the entire robot. From the looks of it, though its been drained for quite some time. In fact when I found it, it was totally disconnected, as if it were no longer needed."  
"So where has he been getting his energy from?"  
"All signs point to here." Now Rotor points to an enclosed metal box with several wires apparently running through it. Rotor points an energy meter at the box, and the needle flies across the meter. "Tails and I were just about to try to open it when you walked in. Tails, can you hand me that flat-head screwdriver." Tails complies and he and Rotor begin to fiddle with the supposed power source. "Tails, my paws are too big, see if you can get to that screw holding the box in place."  
"Okay," came the young vulpine's response, and he climbed up to reach in. Soon, however, his paws slip and the screwdriver drops. Reaching in to retrieve it, his paws graze an outcropping hidden on the side of the box. Curious, Tails begins gently feeling his find, quickly discovering it to be a button. "Rotor, there's a button here on the side of the box."  
"Try not to push it, Tails, for all we know it's a bomb." As Rotor leans closer for a better look though, he bumps into Tails, causing him to press the button. All three animals quickly back away, fearing the worst, until the top of the box begins to open, revealing a bright glow inside. As the lid swings open, a platform rises, revealing a large shining jewel.  
"A power gem," came Sally. "No wonder his battery pack is disconnected. Why bother continually recharging when you can have a battery that doesn't run out."  
"Metallic never would have a chance to recharge with those blasted Combots on his tail anyway," came a new voice from the door. The group turned and there in the doorway were Uncle Chuck and Sonic.  
"Charles, it was good of you to come."  
"After Sonic gave me a description of the robot Tails found, I knew it had to be old E.P. 62; Metallic. You have no idea how important it is to keep this fox out of Robotnik's hands."  
"Who is he, anyway Uncle Chuck?" asked Tails.  
"I don't know who he originally was, but I can tell you what I do know. Six years ago, when Robotnik was still getting started, he wanted to secure for himself immortality. Originally, he'd intended to use the roboticizor on himself, but when Sonic sent his arm into the beam, he learned first-hand how painful the process was. Because of that, Robotnik decided to use the fact that the thinking cells of the brain never really die. In a perfect system, a robotic system, the brain can live forever, or so Robotnik believed. From every village he conquered, Robotnik set aside the healthiest individuals for his experiment in transplanting the gray cells of an organic brain to a robot's body. For the most part, the transplanted Mobians just couldn't stand the strain. Many died during the operation, some couldn't survive the rigorous experimentation Robotnik put them through, while others actually destroyed themselves, unable to handle what they'd become. Finally, there was Experimental Prototype Number 62, who for some reason not only survived the operation, but was able to continue functioning. Of one-hundred thirty-seven test subjects, only one survived for a length of time. This was considered a success by Robotnik, who immediately had 62 transferred to a high security lab; the same lab he kept most of his priceless equipment, such as the power gems; where he would presumably remain."  
"But if Robotnik already knew the experiment was a success, why'd he keep 62 around?" Rotor asked.  
"Robotnik can't predict everything, and he refused to believe that there would not be future problems with the technology. He figured if it happened to 62 first, he would at least have advanced warning. Unfortunately, according to the files, the operation damaged the fox's brain, causing amnesia."  
"Which would account for the scrambled memory Nicole encountered."  
"Yes. Four years ago, though, you provided him with an escape Sonnie."  
"Say wha'. I don't remember seeing him anywhere on that mission."  
"The bombs you set wrecked the lab, and even destroyed the stasis cell he was imprisoned in. Before he left, he stole practically every piece of data on the closed circuit computer, and even managed to swipe the Mega Power Gem, the power gem equivalent of the Master Emerald. It has the same power as a chaos emerald, and is the only one of its kind so you can imagine how angry Robotnik was. After repaying Robotnik's hospitality, 62, who now called himself Metallic, hightailed it before anyone knew what happened. Of course, once his escape was discovered, Robotnik sent a group of SWATbots after him, and recently switched out for Combots. That's all the information I have on Metallic, but needless to say, he would be a valuable asset to the resistance."  
The entire room stood in silence as Uncle Chuck finished his story. Sally was the first to come out of the shock.  
"That monster. Robotnik didn't just enslave this poor fox, he stole Metallic's life." A tear ran down Tails's cheek as he looked back at the now prone Metallic, while Sonic was visibly turning red with rage over Robotnik's actions.  
"Uncle Chuck," Rotor said, "since you're the most familiar with this technology, can you help us fix Metallic up. I'd hate to screw up something important."  
"I think I shall," came Chuck's reply, and soon he, Tails, and Rotor, began working, while Sonic and Sally, sensing they were no longer needed, left.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, back at the river, the squad of Combots have finally arrived. One opens a small communication pad. On its screen, Robotnik's face appears with its usual scowling visage.  
"391, I assume you have some reason for contacting me so late. Spill it.  
"Target's trajectory placed him in the river. Current signs indicate he exited the river at this point," the Combot replied in its monotone voice.  
"Well then, where is he. From the damage you described, he could not have left the area. I presume he is in you custody even as we speak."  
"No my Lord." The Combot holds up Tails's discarded lily bucket. "It appears the target has received aid from the Freedom Fighters."  
"WHAAAAAAAT!!!!" Robotnik screamed, clearly incensed by this information. "You mean to tell me, that you let Metallic meet with those detestable Freedom Fighters? For four years we managed to keep him isolated, totally without any allies, and then you had to allow this to happen!!!" Robotnik suddenly begins to calm down. "391, engage function thirty-five."  
"As you command Lord Robotnik." After a few seconds, Combot 391 suddenly begins to explode all over its body.  
"Now that that has been taken care of; 390, you're the new commander of the squad. Find Metallic, I don't care if you have to tear apart the entire Great Forest to find him, find him!"  
"Command received and acknowledged."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
It was noon time the next day before the work was completed, even with Uncle Chuck's ability to work round the clock.  
"Now we only need to reconnect the last wire to the power gem and then we can re-implant the brain in Metallic's head," Rotor said triumphantly to Sonic and Sally, who had arrived to meet Metallic. Nicole can be seen once more adorning Sally's vest.  
"Do you think those improvements might hurt him?"  
"No Princess, essentially there never was a weapon system or a flight capability, and due to the inexhaustible nature of the gem, using them should not be anymore taxing to Metallic than lifting his arm." Soon, Rotor gives the signal that he's made the last connections, and Uncle Chuck lifts the protective casing of the brain. A few minutes of more work and the brain is finally placed in and the cranium closed. Almost immediately, the cyber-fox's body begins coming back on-line. The Freedom Fighters move back so as not to startle their guest. Two minutes later and Metallic finally begins moving, lifting himself from the table. Sally walks towards the robot, attempting to look as harmless as possible.  
"Greetings Metallic, I, Princess Sally Alicia of the House of Acorn, welcome you to Knothole." Metallic watches Sally with a bewildered expression on his face. He looks around to see he new surroundings, stopping on Uncle Chuck.  
"You won't take me back," Metallic suddenly says, drawing himself up into a defensive stance, ready to fight. Sonic also gets ready for trouble, unsure of what to expect from the robot.  
"Calm down Metallic," came Rotor's voice as he approached the still tense cyborg, "No one's going to hurt..." Rotor is stopped in mid sentence as Metallic grabs the walrus, holding him close and placing a hand on Rotor's throat. Sonic begins to move but Metallic spots him.  
"Not so fast, blue-boy. I don't know why you're working with Robotnik, and I don't care; but there is no way you're taking me back. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I'm not going back to Robotropolis." Sonic started moving closer, but Metallic caught him out of the corner of his eye. "Not so fast pincushion. You may think you're fast enough to hit me, but I wager you couldn't stop me from breaking the walrus's neck. I want you to move around to my front where I can keep a better eye on you." Grudgingly, Sonic moves towards the others and into Metallic's line of sight.  
"Look Metallic, you're in no danger. If you'll just calm..."  
"The workerbot seems to speak to the contrary squirrel-girl. As I said, I don't want any trouble, so the tusker and I are gonna just walk calmly out of here. If you don't follow us, I'll let him go, but you come after me, and I'll be forced to snap his neck like a twig."  
"Look man, Uncle Chuck is a free 'bot. We're the good..."  
"QUIET!!!" Metallic yells, backing towards the workshop's door. A back kick breaks the door down, and the robot starts to drag his hostage.  
"Now ya'll know that's no way for a guest ta be treatin' his gracious hosts, sugar," comes a voice from behind Metallic, as a metal arm suddenly grabs the robo-fox's shoulder, breaking his hold on Rotor. Metallic turns around swinging his arm at what he believes to be a SWATbot only to have his wrist caught by the beautiful Bunnie Rabbot. The fem-bunny quickly pivots on her feet, and easily send Metallic flying over her shoulder. "Why don't we all just simmer down and talk this out real calm-like, hon." The other Freedom Fighters rush out of the hut, Sonic and Uncle Chuck in the lead with Tails, Rotor and Sally closely behind.  
"Remember we don't want to hurt him," Sally commands as the group forms a circle around Metallic. For his part, Metallic gets back up to his feet, ready to defend himself from the attack.  
"Be careful everyone, Rotor and I added some new features to help him keep ahead of the Combots."  
"Don't worry Unc, I can handle anything he throws at me," comes Sonic's reply as he charges Metallic, only to meet the first of Metallic's new features; a rocket pack. Sonic, who has dealt with this situation more times than he can count, simply keeps running to a hut, off which he rebounds to crash into Metallic, sending them both to the ground. Metal proves superior to flesh, as Metallic is easily able to recover before Sonic. Before he is able to capitalize on this, Uncle Chuck meets Metallic in a grapple, matching Metallic in strength for a while. The cyber-fox, however, begins to overpower Charles, but is soon hit from behind by Bunnie. Remembering his mistake, this time Metallic headbutts Bunnie, easily knocking the rabbit down for the count. By this time, Sonic is back on his feet and runs to the defense of his friends. Metallic points his fist, expecting to use his wrist mounted laser torch to stop the hedgehog, when a slot in his index finger opens and a now internalized laser torch fires. Sonic easily dodges the laserfire much to the surprise of Metallic, who has just begun to clock the hedgehog.  
*They're too good as a group, and the squirrel and fox haven't even tried to stop me,* Metallic thought, fending of Sonic's light-speed punches. *If I don't get out of here soon, I can kiss my tail good-bye.*  
"We have to stop this Aunt Sally."  
"I know Tails, but he won't listen to us."  
"Sally," piped up Nicole, "allow Tails and myself to talk to him. I made contact before and Tails is the one who saved him. He may remember us and listen to us."  
"I'm not putting the two of you in that much danger."  
"Come on Aunt Sally, it may be our only chance to stop him without hurting him. You heard what he said, he's not mean, just scared about Robotnik."  
"Well... It goes against my better judgment, but okay. I want you airborne though if he looks like he's going to attack."  
"I promise." With that, Sally hands Nicole to Tails who begins to move towards where Sonic and Metallic are fighting. Metallic is able to sweep Sonic's legs out from under him, forcing the hedgehog to roll away to avoid being stepped on. Tails raises Nicole who starts a loud alarm to get Metallic's attention.  
"Listen to me Metallic. I am Nicole, and it is I who made contact with you while you were comatose. The one holding me is the fox who's help you sought at the river. He is the one who brought you here."  
"I remember."  
"We are not your enemies. We rebuilt your badly damaged body. Had we intended to turn you over to Robotnik, we could have done so while you were catatonic. My friends merely wish to help you, but they can't if you continue to fight them." Metallic appeared to mull over this new information for a while, finally reaching a decision.  
"Very well," Metallic responded, lifting his hands in a sign of surrender.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The Combots have finally made it to Aquatic Ruins, following the trail left by Metallic's leaking oil.  
"Trail ends here, it is no longer possible to pick up E.P. 62. Recommended courses of action?" came the droning voice of the lead Combot, number 390.  
"Since quarry has joined with enemies designated Freedom Fighters, logical course is to seek them out for information regarding quarry's present location," another Combot suggested, whose number identifies it as 389.  
"Incorrect. Current location of quarry is both known and unknown. A 99% probability has been calculated that quarry is presently at secret Freedom Fighter base designated Knothole, general location of which is wooded growth; nomenclature: Great Forest. Suggested course of action; begin systematic search for base through technique known as Slash and Burn," came a third Combot's voice.  
"Current group make up is not equipped for search. We will return to Robotropolis; retrieve more Combots; remove the Great Forest," came the leader's final reply. Suddenly, 389 pipes in.  
"Only one unit should return to Robotropolis. The rest should remain on patrol in case 62 resurfaces." Being the only one who could requisition more Combots, 390 opted to be the one to return, leaving instructions for the others to remain cloaked and undetected in its absence.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, back at Knothole the Freedom Fighters were once more in Rotor's workshop while the walrus handyman was fixing the damage Metallic had incurred. Sally was busy making formal introductions for her friends as Metallic half listened, keeping a close eye on what Rotor did.  
"That should do it, Metallic," Rotor said, putting his tools away, "Most of the damage was just superficial, but let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens."  
"All right... Rotor."  
"We did make some improvements, upgrading the circuitry, so you should run better than before," Uncle Chuck interjected, "I should show you some of the new functions you can perform before I leave."  
"I would like that very much." Metallic hopped down from the table, gingerly testing his legs. Satisfied that nothing is wrong, Metallic begins testing his other joints.  
"Ah hate ta be a big ol' party-pooper, but I do need to head over ta the guard station. Ah'm already late after our tussle with our guest." With that Bunnie leaves, though not without looking over her shoulder at Metallic one last time.  
"Now Metallic," Uncle Chuck begins, "If you'll step outside I can show you the new defensive weapon we installed." Metallic, watching everyone, follows Chuck outside. "You've already seen the jets on you back, and the internalized black light laser torch, but there are two other additions to your arsenal." Uncle Chuck stops for a breath, an unusual thing for a robot to do. "Your fingers are normal now, but when given the command to do so, the tips of your fingers will turn into claws, assisting you in climbing and fighting. The claws are diamonite tipped, so you can really slash your way through almost anything. On your wrists you will see four indentions; one on top, one on bottom, and the other two on the sides. Please command them to raise." Metallic obeys, and, as a small cube rises from each indention, a small nozzle extends from the front of each cube. "I originally designed these for construction robots to use in place of jackhammers, but I think the technology converts to a weapon easily enough. Close your hands and point towards the barren ground over there, then fire." As Metallic does so, a steady beam fires from each of his wrists with a kickback that staggers the robot. Where the beams hit, a large amount of ground is kicked up. As Metallic moves his arms, a good sized trench can be seen where the lasers have been. The now impressed robot shuts down the beams.  
"What are these things?"  
"I call them Cyber-Punchers. The cubes utilize kinetic energy to form beams that, at its highest level, can literally reduce a city block to rubble. Point them at another robot or an offending wall, and you can guess the rest."  
"We figured you could use these to keep ahead of the Combots," Rotor said, "That is if you decide to leave."  
"If I decide to leave?" Metallic asked. Sally walked up to him.  
"Yes. It is your option to leave and continue your life on the run. If you ever get damaged, you can return here and we'll fix you up. We can even give you some good places you can hide from your little 'entourage.' But I bet it does get lonely."  
"It does."  
"What I'm saying is you could be a valuable addition to the resistance. Robotnik hasn't been able to find us yet, so if you stay here, Robotnik wouldn't be able to find you. You'd be a lot safer than out in the open, and you could help us on our missions to Robotropolis."  
"What do ya say, metal-man? Sal's offerin' ya a place here, with all of us. You'd be able to rest in peace, and even get some revenge on Robuttnik."  
"I already did get some revenge," Metallic answered pointing at his head, "It's right here."  
"We know about that Metallic." Uncle Chuck said, "Have you ever looked at the files you stole?"  
"I've never had the time to look at them, I just assumed they were important."  
"If you'll let me link up with you again, Metallic, we can all see what seems to be so important to Robotnik," said Nicole.  
"All right, but you get too personal, and you'll see how fast I can break a link." Once more, Metallic's head opens as a cable emerges from Nicole, forming a hard-line connection between the two machines. Nicole quickly goes into hologram mode, allowing the rest of the party to see the files.  
"It looks like these are blueprints." Rotor said. The room begins to fill with holographic images of blueprints and plans. Suddenly, Rotor notices something. "All these blueprints look like they were designed to use the Power Gems and Chaos Emeralds."  
"What Rot?"  
"Look, all the designs lack any real power source. They don't even have plugs to run off Robotropolis's powergrid. But look here." Rotor points to a diamond shaped hole in one of the machines. "This same structure keeps appearing. I think the lab Metallic broke out of was exploring alternative energy sources such as the power stones."  
"This certainly warrants more study. Nicole, can you download these files from..."  
"Ahem." Metallic is now looking at Sally, who realizes her mistake.  
"I'm sorry Metallic. I'm used to stealing this type of information from Robotropolis. Would you mind if Nicole made a copy of these files?"  
"I'm sorry too, Princess, but I don't think its a good idea for her to be messing with my memory."  
"What," Sonic said, starting to get agitated, "Nicole knows what she's doing. What's the matter, don't you trust us? We put a lot of trust in you..."  
"Sonic, simmer down. Metallic is new here and it is certainly his right to refuse to let Nicole copy any of his files, we are not going to force him." Turning to Metallic, Sally continued. "But, I do hope that given time, you'll reconsider. Who knows what else we might find trapped in you memory. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable. We can set you up in a hut so you can recuperate from your ordeal."  
"He can bunk with me Aunt Sally." Tails said. "I have that big hut all to myself, so he'd have enough room to relax."  
"I don't really need a place to sleep. As I robot I..."  
"You still possess an organic mind, and studies do show that rest is essential for a healthy mind." Sally countered. "I think you would do well with a good night's sleep. Since you offered Tails, you can lead Metallic to your hut."  
"I'd like to run a few more tests on him, if you don't mind Metallic," said Rotor. "I just want to make sure he doesn't have any bugs left in him." Metallic nodded his agreement.  
"Very well Rotor, just don't stay up too late. Tails, go and clean your hut for our friend's arrival. Rotor can take him over later."  
"Yes ma'am," said Tails, who quickly left.  
"We'll see you tomorrow Metallic, I wish you a pleasant night."  
"Thank you Princess."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Bunnie was starting to feel as tired as the rest of Knothole. Not only had she been chewed out by Steven for not relieving him on time, the stupid mink had used up all the coffee in the guard station and not brought in any more for her. She could feel her eyelids drooping, raising only so slightly with every rustling of the leaves, trying desperately to pay attention to her surrounding. Suddenly, she heard the leaves rustle much too loudly for a simple animal. Forcing herself to stand up to see what had made the noise, the rabbit found herself being watched by three armed Combots.  
"Surrender Freedom Fighter, by order of Robotnik." In answer, Bunnie jumped forward tackling the lead robot and knocking him to the ground. Getting up as fast as she could, Bunnie only barely had time to see the other two Combots cloak themselves. Not wanting to press her luck, Bunnie began to run for cover, only to find that the Combot she had tackled was back on its feet and right in her path. Unable to correct herself in her tired state, Bunnie ran full force into the robot, knocking herself out.  
"Change of plans..." 389 stated, gathering the fallen cyber-bunny into his arms. Cloaking, it joined its comrades as they trekked back to Robotropolis.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Tails's hut was alive with motion as its owner feverishly worked to get it clean for his guest. He had already filled his toy chest to bursting with the bits and pieces of toys that had been lying on his floor since his arrival in Knothole. As he walked towards his closet to retrieve a sleeping bag, the kit heard a squeak, reminding him of the loose board in his floor. Stopping for a minute, Tails lifted the board to a metal box lying underneath. It was in here that Tails kept his most precious possessions. Making sure the box was still secure, Tails replaced the loose board and opened his closet, pulling out a sleeping bag. A knock was heard at the door, and the two-tailed vulpine went to answer. On the other side was Rotor and Metallic, who was barely visible against the night sky.  
"Well here we are Meta. This is where you'll be staying."  
"Welcome to my home Metallic won't you and Rotor please come in."  
"Sorry Tails, I gotta get home. Good-night guys, don't do anything I wouldn't."  
"Night Rot, pleasant dreams," Metallic said, stepping into the hut while waving good-bye to the walrus. Tails closed the door as Rotor went out of sight.  
"So Metallic, I guess I should give you the grand tour of your new home." Tails motions over to his bed. "This is where you can sleep, I'll be taking the sleeping bag tonight."  
"There is no need," Metallic interjected. "I feel neither comfort nor pain, so I do not require a mattress, or even a comforter. Thank you for the offer however."  
"Right, well, over there is the bathroom and that's the closet next to the bookshelf. My toy chest is next to that." Metallic has crossed over to the night-stand by the bed looking at two pictures. One is a group shot of the Freedom Fighters in front of Knothole, the other was a picture of two adult foxes, one on either side of a toddler that could only be Tails.  
"These your folks kid?"  
"Yeah, how did you know?"  
"The toddler's got two tails. I doubt there are any other kits that can boast the same trait." Metallic rolls up the sleeping bag, carrying it back to the closet. As he steps on the hollowed out space in the floor, it gives way allowing the robot's foot to crash through, denting the box. Quickly pulling his foot out, Metallic turns back to Tails. "Sorry, I didn't know that board was loose." Tails rushes over to the hole, examining the contents of the dented box for damage.  
"It all right, nothing looks broken. I guess you were too heavy for the board." As Tails takes a closer look at each of his treasures, he feels as though someone is looking over his shoulder. He turns to see Metallic also staring into the box. Inside is a picture of Sonic, a solid gold locket, a bag of coins and a dusty old eyepiece.  
"You really look up to Sonic don't you?"  
"He saved me the day my village was destroyed. I can't help but love the guy."  
"I take it that's the reason you're living alone now. I take it, the other stuff belonged to your folks."  
"These are all I could find when I came back to the village. I guess the scavengers didn't think they were valuable enough to take. Look, I need to cover this again, please don't tell anyone about it."  
"Don't worry about it, kid. I'm good at keeping secrets." Tails quickly patches up the cover, then heads over to his bed, removing his gloves, then his shoes. "I'm tired, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna turn in." Tails throws one of his pillows to his house guest, who easily catches it.  
"I really don't need..."  
"Just use it. If I wake up tomorrow and find you just laying on the ground, it'll just look freaky." Tails dives under his covers and turns out the lights. "Good night Metallic."  
"Good-night Miles," Metallic replies, but Tails is no longer paying attention. *Miles?? Where did I come up with Miles?*  
A few seconds later, Metallic has gone into sleep mode, and, for the first time in months, slept soundly.  
  
*********  
  
On the outskirts of the Great Forest, Combot 390 has returned to find its squad is no longer where it had left them. Behind 390 begin to decloak fifty Combots, each armed with a flame-thrower. The robot opens its wrist communicator, activating a direct communiqué to Robotnik.  
"What do you want, 390?"  
"Currently at rendezvous location with new contingent of troops. Squad is no longer here, and am unable to raise them on communications. Request new orders."  
"They may have found something. Give them five hours, then with or without them, burn the forest to ashes."  
"As you command, Lord Robotnik." With that, the line is closed, and 390 cloaks, waiting for his comrades to return.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
As eight o'clock arrives in Knothole, small lights flicker in its robotic guest as Metallic slowly reboots from sleep mode. At first confused at the strange surroundings he finds himself in, it takes him mere minutes to remember what has happened to him. Getting up, Metallic decided to take a tour of Knothole. Tip-toeing towards the door, Metallic silently opens the door, careful not wake the sleeping Tails. Once outside, Metallic takes a look at the village he was unable to see much of the day before. The village was beautiful in the morning light, and Metallic could see some of the village residents performing maintenance on their homes. The robot's sensors told him that it was summer, accounting for the perfect weather. Chemicals were present in the air that would have been pleasurable to a normal Mobian, but merely served to remind Metallic of what he lost. After about a half hour wandering the village, Metallic soon sees Sally and Sonic exiting a hut with a mess hall sign over its doorway. Tails was up as well, heading for breakfast no doubt. As Metallic went to meet his hosts, a small gecko ran towards the group.  
"Princess. PRINCESS!!!!"  
"What is it Jerry?"  
"Combots!!! Fifty of 'em!!! They're burning the forest!!!!"  
"What? Sonic we've got to stop them. If they burn the forest down, Knothole will be exposed."  
"I'm all over it, Sal," Sonic yelled speeding off in the direction the gecko had come from.  
"There anything I can do to help?" Two voices in unison asked. Sally turned to see Metallic, with Tails hovering just above him.  
"Tails, you go warn the rest of Knothole, we'll need everyone to put out that fire. Metallic, please help Sonic stop the Combots. I'll be there as soon as I can with help, but we can't let them reach Knothole." Tails headed off with his instructions, as Metallic ran to catch Sonic.  
  
***  
  
It wasn't long before Sonic reached the Combots, who had broken up into ten groups of five robots. Jumping immediately into a spin, the blue blur sliced through three of the robots' flame spouting arms, jumping again to avoid the accompanying laser blasts. Sprinting hard, Sonic drew the fire, tricking the two uninjured robots into destroying their comrades, then themselves. As Sonic turned for the next group, he was startled to find they'd disappeared. Only when a metal fist barely missed in crushing his spine did he realize that the Combots had cloaked themselves. While it was a dangerous technology, Sonic new the limits of the prototype cloaks. The cloaks used so much energy, the Combots were unable to even strike without becoming partially uncloaked, much less shoot.  
Sonic listened for the tell-tale sounds of the Combots decloaking, ready to dodge and counter-attack. Sure enough, one of the Combots threw a punch, allowing Sonic to move out of the way, then slice through the Combot's neck, severing its now sparking head.  
*Can't rest or these guys'll just corral me,* were Sonic's first thoughts as he took out two more Combots, breathing hard from the exertion of being forced into constant motion. Three Combots took the first two's place each one striking at different times and changing positions too quickly for him to predict.  
"Sonic to your left!" barks a command from out of nowhere which Sonic absent-mindedly obeys, barely dodging a red-hot laser that neatly cuts a formerly invisible Combot in half. The other Combots turn from Sonic to see Metallic with his new laser torch's out and ready.  
"Priority One target has been identified. Proceeding to capture and restrain." SWATbot 390 decloaked near Metallic, ready for a fight.  
"You mean all this was for little ol' me," Metallic says, feigning a southern accent. "I'm just flattered."  
"You will surrender freely or you will be forced." Not waiting for a reply, two more Combots decloak and attempt to grab Metallic's arms, but, surprisingly, they miss as Metallic moves.  
"You goons had me on the ropes for months, but now I'm fully charged and ready to rock. Your cloaks can't fool me because I can see the heat your mecha-bodies give off. You can't sneak up on me." A quick jump and Metallic is airborne, already using his cyber-punchers to literally flatten his assailants. Dropping to the ground, the robo-fox strikes out with his claws at apparently thin air, which ripples to reveal a hidden Combot, now with a hole in its waist.  
"All units," 390 commands, "decloak and converge on target." As the Combots decloak, two explode as a laser hits their fuel packs. Behind them are several Freedom Fighters including Sally, Tails, Rotor, and even Antoine, each armed with a laser rifle, save for Tails. In the background, other Mobians are trying to fight the fires. "This is no concern of yours anymore Freedom Fighters," 390 once more says. "Surrender Metallic and you will be allowed to fight the fires in peace."  
"Yeah right," yells a newly re-energized Sonic! 390 barely has time to turn before Sonic cuts him to pieces, terminating the robot's short reign of command. The other Combots, now exposed thanks to their previous order, are quickly being cut down by the Freedom Fighters, and soon are all destroyed. It is then that Sally focuses all her attention on putting out the flame.  
"Get more buckets over there. Sonic, kick up some dirt with your Sonic Spin and try to smother the fire. Tails, use your tails and get the winds blowing away from the trees. Bunnie, you and Metallic can use you lasers to kick up dirt as well and help Sonic smother the fire."  
"Aunt Sally, I couldn't find Bunnie anywhere."  
"She was supposed to be on guard duty, Princess. You don't think the Combots already got her, do ya."  
"Prinzess, somesing must 'ave happened to Boonie, or else she would 'ave warnened us before zey even got started."  
"I agree Antoine, but we can't deal with that now. Metallic please help Sonic. Antoine, cut away the closest bush and tree limbs, we've got to keep this fire from spreading."  
"Oui, my Prinzess."  
"Sally, I'll go into the fire and stop it there. I can take the heat and you need someone there to blow out the flame."  
"Make it so Meta."  
  
******************************************  
  
Four hours later the blaze is finally put out. Sonic is exhausted from all the spinning, as are the others who have been fighting the fire. Metallic's normally shiny armor is now covered in soot from his work inside the inferno. Tails lands by Sally, glad that he no longer has to fight the wind.  
"All right people, do a search to make sure the fire is out. I want the injured taken back to Knothole. Rotor, take three and go to the guard station, I want to know why Bunnie didn't alert us first."  
"I'm on it Sal." From behind Sally, Metallic walks up.  
"I'm sorry Princess."  
"For what, Metallic? Helping to put out the fire, or helping to turn the Combots into scrap?"  
"For drawing them here in the first place. If I hadn't been with you, those dumb 'bots would never have felt the need to torch the Great Forest."  
"It was our decision to take you in, and if we hadn't, you'd be in Robotnik's hands and we'd still be in deep trouble. The way I see it, you're more of an asset than a problem."  
"You're too kind Princess, and I do promise I'll make all this up to you."  
"My Prinzess. What do you want us to do with ze Combots."  
"Get rid of their tracers and take 'em back to Knothole. We can always use more parts."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Back in Robotropolis, Robotnik was absolutely livid.  
"How could those filthy Freedom Fighters have defeated fifty of my Combots, how?!?!" Robotnik yelled at a nearby maintenance droid. "Why wasn't Mecha-Sonic among the Combots? He could have annihilated the Freedom Fighters."  
"Sir, as you may recall," answered the small cylinder shaped droid, "Mecha-Sonic was severely damaged during the battle with Silver Fox. He is still being repaired." Robotnik turned an even brighter shade of red at this news, clearly angered by this display of his military's shortcomings. The droid backed away, not wishing to be near its master when he was in this state. Without something to hit, Robotnik went to his second option.  
"Snively," the Lord of Lard bellowed! "You disgusting little running nose, get in here!!" When no one answered, Robotnik grew even angrier, yelling even louder. "Snively, if you're not here in a nanosecond, I will personally break off you pointed nose and roboticize it while you watch!!!" Still no answer. "Computer, where in this infernal city is that worthless nephew of mine?"  
"Organic entity known as Snively Ivo has been located in roboticizor chamber. Do you wish me to put you in contact with him?"  
"Yes," Robotnik commanded. Soon, the computer screen was filled with Snivley's face. "Snively, I have been calling for you! Why in Chaota's name are you in the roboticizor chamber!!"  
"Well... Well sir, I was just about to roboticize the Freedom Fighter the Combots brought in last night. If you wish, I can transfer the..."  
"Freedom Fighter?? Why was I not told that a Freedom Fighter had been brought in last night? Show me this Freedom Fighter." Snively quickly pressed some buttons, changing the video's view to show Bunnie inside the roboticizor tube strapped to a metal chair and struggling to get out. Next to the roboticizor stands the three Combots that had captured Bunnie.  
"You were so preoccupied with destroying the Great Forest, that I endeavored to keep you from being disturbed. When these Combots came to me requesting to show you their prisoner, I refused and instead...." By this time, it had become clear to Snively that Robotnik was no longer listening to his nephew, but is instead lost in thought. "Er, shall I begin the roboticization process?" Snively asked reaching for the switch.  
"Snively, if you touch that switch I swear I shall personally rip you arm off and shove it down you pencil throat."  
"Sir. I thought it was your decree that all Freedom Fighters be roboticized?"  
"I am amending that order, Snively. The Freedom Fighters were lucky to survive my onslaught of Combots, but these Combots' work and your own unique brand of stupidity have provided us with another avenue of attack. I will be there soon Snively, and I don't want a single hair on that hare's head harmed."  
"Good one my..." But before Snively can finish his sentence, Robotnik shuts off the transmission, gets up from his chair, and heads towards his favorite room in the city.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
In her hut in Knothole, Sally is busy looking over the files she has managed to recover from the defeated Combots, when she hears a knock on her door. Rotor walks in, clearly worried.  
"There was no sign of Bunnie at the guard station, but there was evidence of a struggle. It looks like three Combots got there, but there were some blood stains. I can't be sure if she's alive."  
"Whatever else she may be, Rotor, Bunnie is a survivor. We'll find her, don't worry."  
"It may be too late," came Metallic's voice from a window. "I'm sorry Princess, I couldn't help but overhear."  
"It might not be too late Princess," Nicole joined in. "And I can use the Combots' communication lines to try to patch in to Robotropolis and find out."  
"Are you sure that will work? You'd have to crack both computers and the Robotropolis Mainframe is hard enough to break."  
"I am confident in my abilities as a hacker, Princess." Sally is unable to convince Nicole otherwise and sends Metallic to retrieve one of the damaged Combots. It is only when the robo-fox leaves the window that she notices two orange ears belonging to Metallic's unseen companion.  
"You seem to be awfully interested in Metallic these days Tails? If you're not careful, Sonic might get jealous." At this, Tails slowly raised his head so he could be seen. "And you know you shouldn't be eavesdropping anyway."  
"I know Aunt Sally." Tails answered. "But we wanted to know if Aunt Bunnie was all right."  
"And you just happen to know the best places to stand so you can hear without looking like you want to know," Rotor said.  
"And Sonic doesn't mind. Its just that Metallic seems so sad. He's been on his own since he Robotnik caught him, and it looks to me like he could just use a friend."  
"That's sweet of you honey, but please don't show him where to eavesdrop anymore, I don't think the rest of Knothole would take it kindly if our guest looked like he was spying on them." A knock is heard at the door, and Rotor moves to answer it. In steps Metallic with an entire Combot torso, complete with its arms.  
"This is what you wanted, isn't it Princess."  
"Thank you Metallic, and please, call me Sally." Nicole's link cable slinks out, connecting to the torso as the palm-top begins to access its functions.  
"Combot systems are more complex than SWATbots. I am using all my ability to keep the Combot's defense programs from tripping." Suddenly Antoine barges in screaming his head off, followed closely by Sonic who looks tired.  
"Prinzess... Prinzess!! You must see zis. Robotnik, he has jest come on a wide band communiqué.  
"He's right Sal, ya gotta see this."  
"Nicole, disengage from Combot and display any incoming transmission from Robotropolis."  
"Complying Sally." As soon as the link cable disengages from the Combot, Nicole activates her holographic display, showing a 3-D image of Robotnik.  
"Attention Freedom Fighters. I know you can hear me, and I have something to say that will definitely interest you." The image changes to show Bunnie inside the roboticizor. "As you can see, I have a friend of yours and you have one of my minions." Robotnik's metal hand cups Bunnie's chin as she scowls up at him. "Unless you want this lovely little southern flower to complete her roboticization, I suggest you surrender the robot E.P. 62 to me in Robotropolis. I will give you eight standard hours to comply with my order, Robotnik, out." With that, the image fades.  
"Now we have a problem," Rotor stated bluntly.  
  
**************************************  
  
It took nearly forty minutes for the four Freedom Fighters to assemble their friends in the war-hut. Sally stood at the podium with the core Freedom Fighters seated around her, with on seat conspicuously empty.  
"Attention, attention, please," Sally said, banging a gavel. "As you've all probably heard by now, Robotnik has captured Bunnie Rabbot. He has offered a trade; her release for the surrender of the robot Metallic."  
"So why don't we," came a voice from the crowd.  
"Better him than one of our own," another animal called.  
"First the forest fire, now a kidnapping, we can't stand this kind of treatment."  
"What's the worst the fat man can do with that old junk-pile." At this last comment, Metallic seemed to disappear into the shadows he'd been standing in.  
"People, people. We cannot surrender Metallic. He would become far too dangerous a weapon in Robotnik's hands."  
"My Prinzess, I feel I must agree with ze crowd. While loosing Metallic would indeed be a big loss to us, we cannot simply be abandoneeng Boonie."  
"I know Antoine, but you've seen the data we recovered from Metallic. If we let Robotnik build any of these machines, even without the Mega Power Gem , we could be facing the end of the resistance. I..."  
"Aunt Sally..." Tails interrupted.  
"Not now Tails. Besides we can't give up on Metallic simply because..."  
"Aunt Sally..."  
"In a moment honey," Sally said, becoming irritated at the fox's interruptions. "Sonic will you back me up here." It is then that she notices Sonic is no longer in his seat. "Has anyone seen where Sonic went off to?"  
"I was sinking he was right zere, Prinzess."  
"Great now we have to track him down before we can mount a rescue..." Tails, tired of waiting, cups his hands around his muzzle.  
"AUNT SALLY!!!!!!"  
"What is it Tails? What, what, what?"  
"Metallic's gone, he left about three minutes ago when you were yelling, and then Sonic took off after him."  
"I knew it," yells a pig in the crowd. "The instant things get tough that mechanical chicken takes off with..."  
"I refuse to believe Metallic would desert us, Arthur."  
"You are right Sally. Current trajectory indicates he is headed for Robotropolis. It is very likely he will attempt to trade himself to Robotnik for Bunnie."  
"Great," Sally exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "Tails, you're the fastest next to Sonic, try to catch those two before they do something stupid. I'll try to get a team together to join you as soon as possible."  
"I'm on it, Sally."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Back in Robotropolis, Robotnik had already begun the second phase of his plan, while Snively was still confused about the whole thing.  
"Robotnik, how can you be so sure that the Freedom Fighters will trade the E.P. for the rabbit? They're sure to have found the data in his hard-drive."  
"They won't trade."  
"What?"  
"I said they won't trade. The Freedom Fighters would never agree to trade such a treasure as 62 to me, even for a deroboticizor, if there were such thing. I expect they'll mount an attack to try to retrieve their friend, and they'll use 62 as a premise to get into the city. What they don't know, however is that they'll be practically gift-wrapping themselves for me." Robotnik smiles an evil smile.  
"I... I don't understand."  
"Of course you don't Snively, but that is because you're an idiot," Robotnik punches up an old blueprint of a worker-bot. A circle appears around something in its neck, highlighting a piece of machinery. "When I roboticize a Mobian, I place a small electric generator at its brainstem, an electric generator that creates a charge roughly double the amount the Mobian's brain can produce. It is through this machine that I can subvert the Mobian's will, forcing it to do whatever I want."  
"What does this have to do with that old E.P.?"  
"Since I was forced to allow E.P. 62 to retain his organic brain to test whether my process for immortality would work. I implanted one of those control boxes on his brainstem as well, but when he escaped, I lost the ability to activate the box. Once E.P. is within Robotropolis's city limits however, I can activate the control mechanism, reasserting my control over that detestable fox. I will also be able to track him thanks to the tracer that will soon be activated as well. 62 will never again be able to escape me. HA HA HA HA!!"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
At Robotropolis's limit, Metallic soon lands, ready for anything. Just seconds behind him, a sonic-boom is heard, heralding the arrival of Sonic Hedgehog.  
"I wasn't expecting you hedgehog, I thought no one saw me leave."  
"These ears do more than frame my head Meta. Maybe everyone else was too wrapped up listening to themselves argue, but I heard you take off."  
"Well now that you've escorted me safely here, you can return to Knothole where it's safe."  
"Sorry, guy, but I can't just let ya turn yerself inta Buttnik," Sonic points to his head. "Yer forgettin' what's in that noggin of your's, not to mention the gem ya got stuck in yer chest."  
"I'm not going to let Bunnie get roboticized just so I can stay free."  
"Then how about we try getting her out before the deadline," came Tails's voice from above. "Sally's on her way and she's probably got a plan."  
  
* * * * *  
  
An hour later finds Sally, Metallic, Sonic, and Tails in Robotropolis's sewer system, sneaking up on Robotnik's command center.  
"Everyone knows the plan right?" Sally asks. "Geoffrey's team is going to do a little demolition work on Robotropolis, drawing the SWATbots and Combots out and getting them to chase his team out of the city. We can handle any of them left in the center. We get in, free Bunnie, then get back to Knothole. Let's go." Metallic lifts the manhole cover, allowing everyone to creep out and into the shadows. Soon the four Mobians made it to the entryway of the Command Center and Sonic began to search for the airduct they used to enter the imposing egg-shaped structure.  
"Uh," Metallic grunted as he entered the airduct, doubling over as if in pain. Sonic was the first to notice.  
"Yo Meta, you okay man."  
"Yes Sonic, I guess its just a reflex from being back in Robotropolis." This answer seemed to satisfy the hedgehog, who failed to notice that Metallic's eyes were beginning to look duller than they had been before. The quartet continued on their way, guided by Nicole who had downloaded a structural blueprint of the building. As they neared the roboticizor chamber, more grunts and groans issued from their robotic companion, but Metallic kept insisting that they were nothing to worry about. The group finally made it to the roboticizor chamber, where they saw Bunnie still in the roboticizor itself, still struggling to escape her bonds. Two SWATbots were directly below the Freedom Fighters, arranged perfectly.  
"On three, we drop in on Buttnik," Sonic whispered. "One."  
"Two."  
"Three!" With that all four dropped down, Sonic going immediately into a Sonic Spin, cutting one of the SWATbots in half while Sally and Tails drag the second one down long enough for the squirrel to open the robot's neck and rip out its wires. Metallic, for his part merely stands, still as a statue.  
"Very impressive, Freedom Fighters," came Robotnik's voice, clapping hollowly as he walked out from behind the Roboticizor. "You're much earlier that I expected but I can't say I'm disappointed. If you'll kindly hand over 62, I'll happily release you rabbit friend and you can be on your way."  
"Forget it Eggman. We're all leavin' and you better be grateful we are."  
"Oh, my naive little Sonic, heh-heh," Robotnik chuckles. "62, dear boy, please make the Princess comfortable while I explain to Sonic and his friends the difference between fantasy... and reality!"  
"As you command Lord Robotnik." Before anyone can react, Metallic grabs Sally like he grabbed Rotor less than a day ago, being careful to remove Nicole from Sally's person. His eyes have become totally dull now.  
"Metallic, what're you doin'?" Sonic yells, ready to free Sally at a moments notice.  
"I wouldn't if I were you, Sonic. 'Metallic,' as you call him, would probably break your lady-love's spine before you could free her," Robotnik sneered. "If you and your dimwit sidekick can't tell yet, 62 is now under my control. Now, if you don't want to see your Princess get hurt, I suggest you walk over to Snively so he can fit you with those darling leg..."  
"Sonic, Tails, get out of here, NOW!" screamed Sally. The result is instantaneous, with both Sonic and Tails splitting up to get out. Sonic, however, is not yet ready to abandon Sally, and runs back to make a grab for the squirrel princess. Instead of killing Sally as Robotnik promised, though, Metallic simply throws her, smacking her head against a console. The robo-fox leaps at Sonic, tackling the high-speed hedgehog in mid-air, only to find himself holding onto a living sawblade. Metallic kicks Sonic away, incurring scratches while on the other side of the room, Snively has begun to shoot at Tails, attempting to keep the young vulpine from escaping. As Sonic charges Metallic again, the robot raises his fists, firing the kinetically powered cyber-punchers at Sonic, knocking him into a waiting SWATbot, knocking all three to the ground. Sonic begins to twist into another spin, ready for another assault. Metallic's claws rip deep into the SWATbot, pulling out some still sparking wires which Metallic shoves into Sonic's chest before he can wiggle free.  
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!" Sonic screams as he feels the electricity surge through his body overloading him. Metallic jerks away before any lasting damage is done and tosses Sonic over beside Sally. At this point Robotnik notices that Tails has opened the only window in the room.  
"Snively, what are you waiting for, stop the brat!"  
"I can't hit him Robotnik, he's too fast, I can't get a..." Snively is shut up as Robotnik hits him, grabbing the little overlander's gun and trying to shoot Tails himself, only to find himself pointing at empty air.  
"The brat's gone. Snively, you idiot you let him leave." Realizing that Snively is now unconscious, Robotnik turns to his next option. "62, retrieve Tails and use whatever force is necessary but do not, I repeat, do not kill him. Go." Metallic quickly fires up his jets and is soon in hot pursuit, while Robotnik gathers both Sonic and Sally's bodies and places them in the roboticization chamber with Bunnie.  
  
**********************************  
  
Tails flew as fast as his namesakes could carry him, but a glance behind him shows him that Metallic is in close pursuit. With a skill born of years of evading Stealthbots in the forest, Tails drops altitude, using the maze of buildings to prevent Metallic from reaching top speed and overtaking him. Behind him, Metallic has begun to crash through the obstructing buildings, cutting down rapidly on distance between them. Quickly Tails changes direction, heading for the open sea.  
*With any luck, that metal body of his won't let him go underwater. All I have to do is fly out farther that Robotnik's pollution.* Above him Metallic dives, smashing into Tails and driving him into the water. The foxes surface briefly before Metallic again pulls Tails under once more. The kit struggles against the cyborg's grasp even as Metallic pins his arms to his side, using his weight to sink them both. Tails opens his eyes, desperate to find some way out of his predicament, when he notices a faint blue glow, barely visible in the murky water. The two-tailed fox can feel himself getting weaker as the blue light comes closer, until he sees a shape within the glow. As he blacks out, he feels a hand on his shoulder, sending a wave of calm over his body.  
  
*********************************  
  
Metallic's mind begins to reel as the glowing intruder touches both Tails and himself. He tries to concentrate on his plan; forcing his quarry to loose consciousness due to lack of air, but the power of the glowing creature invades his mind swiftly. Brainwashed as he is, Metallic feels his memory beginning to reconstruct itself, clearing his mind. Images flood past him of his days with the Freedom Fighters, eliciting emotions that should have been buried by the control device. Soon the images change, showing the cyber-fox lost memories of his time as Robotnik's prisoner, winding back to the when he escaped from Robotropolis. Images of the blueprints and Power Gems he stole fly by along with something else, surprising him greatly. Soon he is back to when he first awoke as a robot, watching Robotnik stand over him and laugh, feeling the helplessness and fear he had felt then. Another emotion begins to surface; anger, which quickly gets replaced by rage. A new image flashes by, one that seems vaguely familiar. Robotnik is again standing over him, though now he is not laughing. He is in the glass tube he'd awoken before, but this time the faint reflection showing back at him is not the face of robot, but the face of a flesh-and-blood fox.  
*That's my face, before Robotnik ruined my life.* Suddenly, Robotnik speaks.  
"You took out six SWATbots, my friend, you should be proud. No one has ever taken down so many of my forces by themselves."  
"You may have me, Robotnik, but there will be others," Metallic hears a voice he can only assume is his say.  
"Now, now, Artemus, you should thank me. If this works, you'll be practically immortal, and I promise you'll receive the best of care." Comes Robotnik's sugary retort.  
*Artemus... My name is Artemus.*  
*Yes young one. You have a name, and a past. You must never forget this, or Robotnik will have won your soul. You cannot let him control you, or you will be destroyed.* A voice, not Metallic's, replies. Suddenly, the image of the cyborg's former face fades, revealing Tails. The blue creature is now moving away, and without it's protective influence, Tails begins to drown again. Metallic quickly surfaces, pulling Tails with him and then flying to the shore. Laying Tails down, Metallic attempts to help him, only to receive a shock from his control device, which sends electrical commands for him to return. Metallic fights, exherting his own will. The battle is short as the controller, not designed to battle for control, is overloaded, melting its circuits to slag. Free now, Metallic begins checking Tails, listening to him breathe and helping to clear his lungs. Soon Tails wakes up, a little confused, but none the worse for wear. Tails jumps when he sees Metallic, ready to leap into the air and escape.  
"Hold it kid, I'm all right, Robotnik doesn't control me."  
"Yeah right, I wasn't born yesterday. If you're really free, prove it."  
"Robotnik has a butt the size of whale and the brain the size of a pea."  
"I guess I'll believe you, no robot under his control could say that." Suddenly, a thought hits Tails. "Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie. How are we gonna get 'em out of the city?"  
"That depends Tails, how good an actor are you?" Tails looks at Metallic quizzically.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ten minutes later, Metallic once more enters Robotnik's roboticization room, in his arms was Tails, unconscious.  
"Good work 62, I am pleased."  
"I live to serve, my Lord of Lard."  
"You harm one patch of fur on his head 'Buttnik, and I swear I'll personally feed you to your own rendering plant," Sonic yelled from the roboticizor chamber.  
"You insult me Sonic. I know perfectly well what will happen if I roboticize young Tails. He'll turn into that mechanical monster, Silver Fox, and I have yet to create a way to control HIM. So, for the time being, I'll just stuff him in a cryo-chamber and put that under high security." Robotnik smiled cruelly at Sonic, Sally and Bunnie. "You three, on the other hand, have no such protection." Robotnik lays his gun on a table, walking over to the roboticizor's control panel. Soon the machine begins to hum as it prepares to activate its beam. As Robotnik is about to press the initiation button, he stops. "I have a better idea. Metallic, since you're the one that set this whole thing up, you do the honors and roboticize the lot of them." Metallic moves over to the button, as Robotnik moves over to the tube, eager to watch. "You may press the button, my loyal slave."  
Metallic raises his hand, then in a slow, monotonous voice answers, "Not... on... your... life,... FAT MAN." The effect is almost instantaneous. Robotnik's head slowly turns to face Metallic, eyes flaring with anger.  
"What did you say?!?!" Robotnik demands, slowly approaching Metallic, who has set the unconscious Tails aside.  
"I said...," at this point Metallic switches to his much more fluid real voice. "Not on your life, fat man." Metallic jumps, slamming into the surprised Robotnik, who uses his robotic arm to knock the cyber-fox away. Snively reaches for his uncle's gun only to discover it is missing. Looking farther, the large-nosed human sees the gun now being wielded by Tails.  
"Don't move needlenose," Tails says, pointing the beam weapon at the human. Slowly, Snively raises his hands. Meanwhile, Metallic is swinging furiously at Robotnik, who is blocking as best as he can. Several punches do find their mark, staggering the rotund human back to the glass cylinder of the roboticizor.  
"I am impressed, 62," Robotnik says through bloodied lips, "I never thought Tails was technologically proficient enough to override MY control device. Perhaps I haven't given the freak enough credit for his intelligence.  
"Truth to tell Robuttnik," the kit spoke up, angered by Robotnik's insult, "Metallic was the one who overloaded your device. I guess you're not as good at this as you thought you were."  
"But I am good at other things Tails, escape routes for instance are one of my specialties." So saying, Robotnik pulls a lever on the roboticizor, opening a wide trap-door beneath him, providing for the overlander's escape.  
"After him, Metallic, I'll free the others," Tails yells. Metallic follows, jumping feet-first into the hole.  
  
**************************************  
  
As soon as the hole opens up, Metallic's jets turn on to stop his fall. He has found himself in a completely black room. His jets shut off as soon as he touches ground. No sooner has he landed as two arms; one metallic, one flesh; encircle his body, pinning his arms and locking him against a surprisingly hard surface.  
"Surprise, surprise, 62," Robotnik hissed, "I've been looking forward to this since you escaped."  
"If you think your blubber can hold me, you are dillusional." Metallic retorts, struggling to escape Robotnik's grasp.  
"Foolish fox," Robotnik says, tightening his grip on his prey. "Contrary to popular belief, only two percent of my body mass is fat. Allow me to show what six-hundred and forty seven pounds of muscle are capable of..." With a grunt, Robotnik tightens his grip, and both man and machine feel it as steel begins to buckle. Metallic desperately tries to break Robotnik's grip, but Robotnik proves to be true to his word in this case. "You'd think a robot would be stronger than a mere organic, wouldn't you, eh 62. It's a pity the Freedom fighters didn't give you an upgrade to deal with this. And once I'm done with you, I'll return to the roboticizor and finish off your little chums."  
"Has anyone told you, blubber butt..., YOU TALK TOO MUCH!!" So saying, Metallic begins slamming the back of his head against Robotnik's. Robotnik reels with each hit, but refuses to release Metallic.  
"Stupid robot, my skull is harder than a rock, you can't hurt it."  
"Your head may be hard, but how's your feet." So saying, Metallic lasers fire sending two beams right through Robotnik's feet.  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH," the tyrant screams, dropping Metallic and hopping back to grab his mutilated feet. In a second, Metallic's claws are out as he races towards Robotnik, grabbing the doctor's pointed head and placing his clawed hand under Robotnik's chin.  
"Now who's the fool, Robotnik. One movement of my wrist and Mobius will be a lot happier place to live."  
"Will it. If you kill me, you'll never know who you were. I'm the only one who can help you find your roots."  
"Not true, Buttnik. I remembered some of my past while I was setting this up with Tails. My memories are in here somewhere, and I'll find them without your help. Get ready for a one-way ride to oblivion." Suddenly, a monitor comes on, showing the roboticization room, with all the Freedom Fighters now free of the roboticizor. Unfortunately, all appear to be choking as a green mist has begun seeping out of the roboticizor itself.  
"Are they coming too?" Robotnik sneers. "It seems your friends have tripped the roboticizor's fail-safe. That gas is poisonous and will kill them all very quickly. I doubt even Sonic would be able to cut his way out of the room, much less get everyone to the ground."  
"You'd loose Snively too."  
"A marginal loss for me. And Tails will probably turn into Silver Fox again, and I doubt you'd be able to stop him on your own. However, the tunnel we took is still here, you could get there in time to help Sonic break out. Of course, you couldn't do that and kill me, and you know that by the time you helped them, I'd be safely away. Its your choice."  
"Some choice," Metallic mutters, releasing Robotnik and flying back up the tunnel.  
  
****************************************  
  
Back in the roboticizor chamber, the others are choking on the green mist as Sonic continually tries his spin attack on the walls. It is apparent that he has made some progress, but not enough.  
"Everyone, try to get above the gas. Tails, grab Bunnie and Sally and fly."  
"I got ya Sonic." Tails grabs the girls, making sure Sally can use Nicole's laser to help Sonic. The escape hatch blasts open, and out comes Metallic.  
"Come on guys, we can escape through the..." Suddenly, the tunnel seals itself. "...tunnel."  
"Metallic, help Sonic break us out." Sally gasped at the cyber-fox.  
"Roger Sally." Activating his cyber-punchers, Metallic fires on the spot Sonic and Nicole are currently hitting. After about two minutes it becomes apparent that they will not be able to open a hole in time. "Sonic, new plan, follow my lasers." Sonic nods rather than waste his breath. Metallic points his laser torches at the wall, carefully using them to weaken the wall. As soon as the robot makes a semicircle, Sonic jumps in, following the course of the laser and cutting into the significantly weaker wall. While this is happening, Metallic's other laser makes another semicircle, which Sonic follows after completing the other path, this continues for three and a half minutes before the circle that has been cut falls out of the wall, revealing a portal to the outside.  
"Tails, drop the girls and grab Sonic, I'll take the princess and Bunnie to the ground."  
"What about me??" Snively pleaded.  
"You can hang on if you want, but I'm not holding on to you." Soon, all six Mobians have landed outside the building. All five organic Mobians are coughing, taking in as much fresh air as their lungs can hold. Sonic is the first to catch his breath.  
"Told ya, we'd all get out of Robotropolis together," Sonic said triumphantly. "Ol' 'Buttnik didn't stand a chance."  
"Don't be so sure Sonic," Sally said. "Robotnik had us all on the ropes. We did survive."  
"I say we head on back to Knothole, Sally-girl. I haven't had a chance to wash ma hair for two days, and I want ta wash that blob's grease outta ma fur."  
"I agree, I could stand some of Rotor's repairs, Robotnik can take a lot out of you."  
"NO!!" came Snively's cry.  
"You gonna try to stop us Needlenose?" Sonic said, picking Snively up by the little man's shirt collar.  
"As enemies, I'm not one-hundred percent sure I should tell you this, but Robotnik was willing to let me asphyxiate with all of you, and you were the ones who got me out of there. I don't like owing debts, so I'll tell you that Robotnik planted a tracer inside Metallic along with the controller. If you take Metallic back to Knothole, he'll be able to zero in on its location before you can mount a defense."  
"Ha, you think we'd trust you, Sniveler."  
"Whether or not you trust me is immaterial Tails, I am merely repaying you for helping me out of a jam."  
"And I suppose keeping Metallic away from us isn't reason enough for you to lie to us."  
"Unfortunately, he isn't lying Sonic," Rotor said, approaching the group from his hiding place, Antoine and Dulcy in tow. Snively uses this distraction to slip away from the crowd. "When you didn't meet Geoffrey at the checkpoint, we got worried, and then Nicole sent an emergency broadcast, so we headed here to see what we could do. I used my scanner to make sure we didn't run into any Combots or SWATbots, but as you can see..." Rotor shows the scanner's screen which indicates a blip labeled E.P. 62.  
"Chaota help us."  
"Without Knothole's resources, and more time than I can give, I'm unable remove the tracer. There is a temporary solution to your problem, though." Rotor pulls out a small flat machine.  
"What's that, tusker?"  
"It's a mini-scrambler. It can't stop Robotnik from tracing you, but it can stop him from pin-pointing your location. It'll increase the tracer radius to about three or four miles, randomly fitting you somewhere in that radius. With any luck, you can keep a few steps ahead of any search parties." Rotor quickly attaches the scrambler.  
"So he can come back with us, right Rotor?" Tails asked, sensing where this conversation was going.  
"I'm sorry kid, but Robotnik would pinpoint us all before too long." Rotor placed his paw on the cyborg's shoulder. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do right now."  
"You people have given me more help than I've gotten in a long time, and I thank whatever powers that be for putting us in touch," Metallic sighed. "But I have been on my own for more than five years."  
"You still shouldn't have to go man. Buttnik's caused you as much trouble as any of us, and we've had each other ta count on."  
"Ya didn't have ta come help me, but ya did anyway. Ah never thought I'd be sayin' this ta a robot, but Ah do owe ya one. If ya ever need me ta come pull your butt outta a fire..."  
"I'll know who to call on Bunnie," Metallic says, smiling as best as he can.  
"We may not be able to offer you a home any more Metallic, but we can offer you some help." Sally flips open Nicole.  
"What is your request Sally?"  
"Nicole, Metallic is leaving us so I want you to prepare to download some files for him."  
"Sally no, I can't accept any information from you. If I am captured again..."  
"I am well aware of what will happen, but I insist. And you'll find that as the Crown Princess of Mobius, I can order you to accept our help." A cord slinks out of Nicole, ready to insert itself. In back of his head, a small port opens, allowing the cord to enter. "I'm downloading a list of Freedom Fighters hiding places, each stocked with supplies and parts you can use. I'll send a message so that no one tries to stop ya."  
"Thanks Sally, I'll try not to abuse your help." A small tug is felt on Metallic's arm.  
"I hope you stay all right Metallic," Tails says.  
"Don't worry kid, I'll be fine. Robotnik hasn't built the robot yet that can catch me." Metallic breaks away from the group. "Well, it won't take long for Robotnik to figure out I'm here, so I best take advantage of my head start. Sally, you have my number if you need to reach me." With that, Metallic takes off as the rest of the Freedom Fighters also prepare to leave.  
  
************************************************************************ Epilogue: That night ************************************************************************  
  
Sonic and Bunnie are sitting on a log bench near the dying embers of what once was a big fire in the center of Knothole, softly speaking so as not to arose those sleeping. All the reports have been given, with each Freedom Fighter giving his/her side of the missions event. A door to a hut is opened and out walks Sally, who sits beside Sonic.  
"Well, Tails is finally asleep."  
"He still upset over Metallic not being able to return with us?"  
"It took three telling of The Hawk's Quest as well as Sir Nedry to get him to go to sleep. He'll get over it, but it will take some time."  
"What d' ya'll make of what he said when he was fightin' with Metallic?"  
"You mean about the blue thing that grabbed them both?"  
"Yeah. If'n we believe the other stuff, then Tails was under the better parta ten minutes."  
"He was being deprived of oxygen, he probably was too terrified to keep track of time."  
"So ya'll think it was just some sorta hallucination?"  
"Whoever heard of any..."  
"Wait a minute Sal. As I recall, people said the same thing about the Floating Island, the Chaos Emeralds, and even the Master Emerald. Who knows what else is out there, I mean only a few months ago I learned Mobius has a guardian."  
"It's ludicrous to believe that some mystical, magical creature came out of nowhere and helped two creatures it never met before."  
"Who knows why anyone does anything these days, Sal, but answer me this, how did Metallic break Robotnik's control?"  
The argument continues only for a few minutes before the three teens grow tired, drifting off for their own huts. Meanwhile, back in Tails hut, Tails' sleeping form is being hit by the light from Mobius's silver moon, which is full in the night sky. Tails' eyes immediately open, as the kit moves to the window, an expression of anger on his face that seems almost alien. A few minutes go by as the young fox stars at the silver moon. Reaching up, Tails closes the window, sending the room into complete darkness. Footsteps are heard as Tails makes his way towards his bed. He turns around, and suddenly, something new is seen. Instead of the blue eyes previously seen, the young fox's eyes have begun to flare a crimson red; a red light that bounces off the ivory teeth of his smile. If anyone were to pass by the hut at this point, they would be able to hear a soft, chuckling riding the wind at night.  
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..."  
  
THE END...? 


	5. Problems With Mine Control

Problems With Mine Control By Asher Tye  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, save for the bit characters, the substance known as Vibrium, and anything else you don't instantly recognize. If you try to sue me, all you'll get is a copy of last Sunday's comics page from the newspaper, value: $ .000001.  
  
Author's Note: I am tentatively continuing the Silver Fox storyline due to the amount of requests for such action.. In any event, this story takes place about two months after the events recounted in Metallic, and just before the whole Endgame Saga.  
  
Summary: Robotnik has uncovered a mine containing the fantastic metal known as vibrium, the same indestructible substance used to create Silver Fox. Needless to say, the Freedom Fighters can't let the mad doctor get it.  
  
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In the dark, pollution-filled city of Robotropolis, the streets were alive with activity as robots of all kinds moved about doing their programmed jobs with the same mechanical efficiency. Worker-bots, those mobians who had been enslaved by the cities mad dictator, worked alone or in groups as the situation warranted, transporting materials and doing their best to maintain the rapidly decaying city that was their prison. Groups of SWATbots and Combots moved through the streets as well, scanning for any unauthorized organic creatures that were not supposed to be their, all the while careful not to disrupt the workers from their appointed tasks. Every so often, a Stealthbot or a Spy Orb flew overheard, keeping watch for any incoming aircraft or large ground force that would threaten the safety of the city. All eyes were vigilant, watching for any sign of their master's enemies. All was silent, save for the almost rhythmic clanging and grinding of metal gears, the only music that ever seemed to find favor with Dr. Robotnik.  
Suddenly, a low roar, which steadily increased in volume, broke through the stifling silence. Up the city's main street sped a red grounder unit, its treads easily crushing any debris that happened to be in it's way. The mole-like robot didn't even let other robots stop it, using its three drills to plow through one unlucky SWATbot that had walked into its path. Finally, the grounder made it to Robotropolis's command center, the former castle of Acorn, where it promptly crashing into the titanic metal door that barred entrance.  
Grounder backed up and its eyes began to glow red as it transmitted the access codes needed to gain entrance to the building. As the two Combots guarding the building received the access codes, their eyes too began to glow. Soon, the door opened and Grounder was admitted to the base, moving at top speed the whole way.  
Meanwhile, in his command room from where he completely dominated the vast machine that was Robotropolis, Robotnik was busy watching as his various underbosses gave him their reports. It was clear from his drooping face that the Lord of Lard was bored almost to tears by their steady talk. Beside him though, Snively struggled to write down all that was being said by the underboss; Crocbot. The reptile robot is interrupted, however, as the door to Robotnik's chamber came crashing off it's hinges as Grounder entered the room. Robotnik reached into the side of his throne, pulling out a powerful handblaster to defend himself while Snively dove for safety behind a computer console, ready to surrender or cheer as the case permitted.  
"Sir, news from mine 23K," the grounder unit yelled. Robotnik, realizing he was not under attack, visibly relaxed.  
"What do you mean 'news?' 23K hasn't yielded anything I've needed in years?" Robotnik asked, curious as to what would make this robot risk it's metallic life by startling him.  
"We decided to make a new shaft, and started pulling out limestone, but we also came across something else." Recognition flashed over Robotnik's face as he grabbed the grounder by it's metal neck.  
"Are you saying you found VIBRIUM?!?"  
"We are estimating about four hundred thirty-nine pounds pooled within the fifteen tons of limestone. Four worker-bots were lost before we could shut the shaft and prevent the rest from escaping. Given our location, it was felt this was important news to report to you directly." A simple gesture from Robotnik, and the titan screen that once showed Crocbot's face instead showed a map of his empire. The other underbosses looked with their lord and master at the map.  
"Darn, 23K is on the other side of the Great Forest, right in those detestable Freedom Fighters' very backyard!" Robotnik yelled, slamming his fist on the console.  
"Why didn't you bring it back with you, you ignorant..."  
"Shut-up Snively," Robotnik began. "It is imperative that I collect all of the vibrium in that mine before the Freedom Fighters find out about it." Robotnik hastily scribbled something on a piece of paper before handing it to Grounder. "I have just given you a signed, blank requisition form. The resources of my empire are now at your disposal. Get whatever you need, I don't care about the price, but BRING ME THAT VIBRIUM!!" With his new orders, the Grounder takes off again at highspeed. It is then that Robotnik remembered that the underbosses were still present, and have all heard this conversation. "You are to delete this conversation from your memory banks immediately. Failure to do so will result in immediate termination. We will continue the status reports another time. Computer terminate communications." At this command, all the screens go black. Snively, however, remains with questions.  
"Sir, I don't see the need for such speed over a simple ore. The Freedom Fighters are hardly capable of using raw materials to produce anything, and a slower pace would be far less suspicious, and help to maintain the secrecy of your supply routes." In answer, Robotnik simply stared back at his nephew.  
"Your memory is as short as you are, Snively. Computer, display all files on vibrium."  
"As you command," the computer began to drone. "Vibrium is a very rare metallic substance naturally found only with limestone in liquid form. Liquid vibrium must be processed before it can be molded into a solid and permanent form, but once it has been, it has proven to be virtually indestructible. Structures and items known to be constructed of vibrium: The Black Tower in the Mobian Wastelands; Citadel of Dreams in Downunder Umbria; Silver Fox robot, location unknown; and Eggomatic Hovercraft in Robotropolis." As the computer speaks, pictures of all four appear on the screen. "Locations currently possessing the ability to process liquid vibrium: Robotropolis."  
"There you are Uncle, we're the only ones who can use vibrium. The Freedom fighters wouldn't need to mine it, unless of course you showed a pronounced interest in it." In response to this statement, Robotnik walks over to a safe in the room. Opening the small but heavy door, the Lord of Lard reaches inside and pulls out a small vial that is half full of a shining silver liquid. Robotnik smiles as he looks over at Snively.  
"Come over here Snively," Robotnik says in a mockingly gentle voice. Snively nervously inches closer to his uncle, not trusting the devious overlander. "In this specially made vial is the last of my supply of vibrium, enough to build, say, a laser pistol. However, since I will soon be getting a renewed supply, I've decided to use it to further your education." Suddenly, Robotnik dropped the vial, which shatters on Snively's head, covering him in the liquid metal. At first the overland is angry, until he notices that the vibrium has started to dissolve his uniform.  
"It's an acid!!" Snively shrieks as more and more of his clothing disappears, leaving silver streaks on his now bare skin. Within seconds, the uniform is completely gone, leaving the little overlander naked as Robotnik roared with laughter. "It's not funny," Snively yelled, trying his best to maintain his dignity while covering himself up with his clipboard. "You've gotta get me a med-bot before the acid kills me!"  
"Relax my little nephew," Robotnik mocked as Snively tried to get the silver off of him. "It's not an acid, at least not in the kind your thinking of. Liquid vibrium has the unique ability to destroy any inorganic or processed materials it comes in contact with, such as your clothes or..." Robotnik's face darkens, "my robots and defense."  
"But not the Great Forest. The Freedom Fighters would turn it into an offensive weapon."  
"Precisely. This is also the reason it's only found in limestone deposits, the calcium keeps it from dissolving everything." Robotnik's smile returns. "I would suggest, however, that you do go wash that stuff off. Otherwise it will seep into your pores and dissolve the inorganic salts in your body." Snively looks at Robotnik, horrified. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go."  
"Uh," Snively sheepishly began, "could you...?"  
"Oh for the love of..." Robotnik turns his chair away from his embarrassed nephew and puts a hand over his eyes. The only response he got was the pitter-patter of flesh on metal, signaling Snively's hasty exit. It is then that a thought enters Robotnik's mind.  
"No one has ever documented what prolonged exposure to vibrium does. I'd hate to loose Snively's assistance, but he has always been expendable. I'll give him a fifty-fifty chance." Robotnik opens a communications line. "All SWATbots and Combots within the egg command center. Snively seems to be out of uniform. If spotted, stop him and find out why for me. Use minimum force if necessary." Robotnik shuts off the communications line. "At the very least, this could be fun to watch later."  
  
***************************************  
  
It had taken him nearly an hour to before Snively had been able to get into the shower in his own private quarters, primarily due to the large number of robots that had stopped him in the halls. Of course, he suffered no illusions that his "kindly" uncle was not completely behind all the delays he had suffered. His suspicions were confirmed by the message he found waiting for him from Robotnik.  
"'Report to med-lab for a full check up,'" Snively muttered to himself as he used a metal scouring pad and soup to try to remove the vibrium. "If I needed a check up, I'd go to my own med-bots, and certainly not his." Snively pulled off another of the silver streaks that covered his skin, yelping as he did so. These were the worst. The streaks had been relatively easy to remove at first, but now they were becoming harder and much more resistant to removal. Snively checked the pieces that had come off earlier. Sure enough, they had bonded almost completely to tile of the shower. Of course this served to cause the small overlander to redouble his efforts to clean himself of the metallic substance. Robotnik's delays had done their job however, and Snively found he couldn't budge the silver streaks left on his right arm, chest, and upper back.  
*I'll get that overlander,* Snively angrily thought. *If it's the last thing I do, I'll get that Robo...* Suddenly, a new thought entered his mind. *The vibrium mine! If that fatso is so worried about his precious mine, I'll give him something to worry about.*  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
The hidden village of Knothole was alive with activity as it's denizens moved from place to place as they performed their daily routines. And there was plenty to do. A new building was going up to facilitate a new school, and there was also a harvest of vegetables that had to be brought in, especially with winter on it's way.  
Sally watched all this from her window, taking a well deserved break from the maps she had been using to plan the Freedom Fighters next offensive on Robotropolis. As she watched her subjects working and playing so happily, the squirrel princess had to wonder if it would be so wrong to simply give up their war efforts and live in Knothole for the rest of their lives. The Great Forest provided them with everything they needed, and Robotnik's pollution had spoiled Mobotropolis almost beyond the point at which it could be reclaimed. Could it really be considered for the best to continue causing trouble over a city that would quite possibly be unlivable if they ever got it back?  
Sally shook her head, banishing such destructive thoughts from her mind. Knothole was a nice place, of that no one could persuade her otherwise, but it was not the Freedom Fighter's home; Mobotropolis was. They weren't the aggressors, Robotnik was and he would not be satisfied by one city, he wanted the entire world.  
Then there were the Mobians Robotnik enslaved she had to consider. They deserved to be free as much as any other on Mobius, and Sally was not about to deny them. As she turned back to her maps, a small beeping noise from her vest told her that Nicole had mail for her. Lifting Nicole from her resting place, Sally flipped open to miniaturized computer.  
"Nicole, please display the new message," Sally stated.  
"As you request, Princess." In less than a second, a holographic display popped up over Nicole, the robotic visage of Sir Charles Hedgehog appearing.  
"Princess, I can't talk long but I have important news you must hear. Robotnik has uncovered a rich vibrium mine on the other side of the Great Forest, and he's trying to sneak it all into Robotropolis. I've been transferred to the mine, so I should be able to slow them down, but without your help, I won't be able to stop them. I'll be waiting for you at these coordinates." With that, the image disappeared.  
"Just when I thought we'd have a free day," Sally said as she raced to the door of her hut. "I'd best get the others so we can make a plan."  
  
***************************************  
  
It had taken about thirty minutes to round up the rest of her team, and Sally was seriously beginning to consider have an intercom system installed in the village for just such emergencies. Sonic and Antoine had been hardest to find, mainly because Sonic had opted to take Tails to their "super-secret" spot as they'd termed it. As for Antoine, he had been listening to his headphones, completely oblivious to the world around him and thus blissfully unaware of his princess calling for him. But at least he had been alone.  
Sonic, being with Tails, had forced the princess to try to think up some plausible excuse to keep the double-tailed vulpine from following them. She knew the little fox meant well, but the facts remained that it was far too dangerous to allow him to go on missions like this. *If he were to get hurt...* Sally shuddered at the thought. As soon as the other Freedom Fighters had assembled, Sally began.  
"Friends, we have a problem. Sir Charles Hedgehog has sent dire news that Robotnik has discovered a reservoir of the material vibrium just outside the boundaries of the Great Forest. As I'm sure you all know, vibrium in it's processed form is virtually indestructible, at least as far as current technology allows. And of course you are all familiar with Robotnik's OTHER vibrium created terrors I'm sure. According to Sir Charles's report, this is a particularly rich vein, so one has only to use one's imagination to discern what our 'friend' could do with it."  
"Whatcha plannin' on doing, Sal?"  
"Is it not oblivious to vous? We must stopped Robtnik from getting his mittens on zhe vibrium," Antoine said.  
"Robotnik is nobody's fool, Antoine," came Rotor's voice. "He's gonna have enough guards at that mine to take a small country."  
"There ain't enough 'bots in his army ta stop this hedgehog."  
"Sonic this is no time to brag. We need a plan to stop him, and our situation is only made worse by the presence of worker-bots at the mine. We can't run the risk of releasing the vibrium and putting them in danger along with the normal robots."  
"Maybe we could be using some smaller explosives to, how you say, collapse zhe mine in on itself. Zhat way it would be too difficulting to be getting zhe liquid out without loosing miners."  
"That would do the trick, Sally," Rotor said. "Even Robotnik won't waste all his robots trying to get at an impossible mine. The only tricky part will be placing the explosives at the precise locations to cause the cave in correctly. Afterall, we can't risk a rupture."  
"There's still the matter of the worker-bots in the mine."  
"Leave 'em to me and Tails, Sal, we'll just get those 'bots to chase us and..."  
"NO!" Sally said, almost screaming at Sonic. "Tails will not go on this mission. It's far too dangerous for him to be there."  
"Sal, we've done this before, dozens of times. It's a zero risk mission."  
"No Sonic Hedgehog. Tails is not to go, I don't even want you telling him about this operation." As Sally sat back down, Sonic muttered something under his breath. "Would you care to repeat that Sonic?"  
"I'm just wondering why you suddenly have a thing against Tails."  
"That's not fair and you know it Sonic. We both know why Tails shouldn't go on this mission, or any other for that matter."  
"Look I know you think he's too young but..."  
"That's not even the first reason right now."  
"Then what is?"  
"Two words: Silver Fox."  
"THAT'S IT!!" the blue hedgehog screamed as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.  
"Sally-girl's gotta point sugarhog. Thah lil' guy's been a big help ta us before, but now... We just can't risk him gettin' hurt," Bunnie said, shuddering at the thought.  
"So because he's a victim of Buttnik he should be scrubbed from all missions? What next, you gonna put him in a plastic bubble?"  
"Sonic..." Sally started.  
"I know you're just tryin' to do what's best for him Sal, but if he can't go on missions, he might as well not even be in Knothole."  
"That's actually an idea," Sally said quietly.  
"Wha..." said Rotor.  
"My Prinzess," came Antoine's response, almost unbelievingly.  
"Sally..." Bunnie said, staring wide-eyed at the squirrel. For his part, Sonic stared as well, his jaw dropping slightly. This was quickly replaces by a look of anger as the hedgehog's eyes narrowed, his ears folded back, and his jaw fully clenched. Before he could say anything, however, Sally spoke again.  
"I had hoped to tell you this later, at the very least after I had come up with an acceptable plan of action, but I guess I'll need to explain now. I have been considering for some time sending Tails to live with one of the other, less active, Freedom Fighter cells. Truthfully because I didn't want to run the risk of him getting caught by Robotnik should Knothole ever be discovered. Of course, since Silver Fox's explosion onto the scene, I've been giving this more serious consideration. I would, of course, not have sent him off without first consulting you, but I do feel that this is the best course of action, not simply for us, but for Tails himself as well."  
"How the frell do you think that would be best for him!"  
"Sonic please watch your langu..."  
"Don't interrupt me!" Sonic yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Sally. "Is this your idea of helping?! Just pack 'em up and ship 'em out!!"  
"Zat ees not fair, Sonic Hedgehog. It is not as eef Tails hases a cold or loosed a limb. He ees zat maniac Silver Fox waiting to happen."  
"Sally does have a point, sugar. We don't even know how badly Tails has ta be hurt ta make them little 'bots go."  
"I don't believe this!" Sonic yelled again. "We're the closest thing Tails has to a family, and you guys just wanna ship him off like old baggage." Sonic pauses as he notices Rotor has yet to speak. "And what are you gonna say, Tusker? That Tails can't really be trusted 'cause he's a schizo?"  
"Actually Sonic...!" Rotor began, slamming his claws on the table in anger over his friend's accusations. "I'm on your side, despite how much of a jerk you're being right now."  
"Rotor?"  
"Admittedly, Silver Fox literally living in Tails's bloodstream represents a tremendous threat. However, if you'll recall, we were almost totally ineffective in slowing him down ourselves. If we couldn't deal with him, what chance does anyone else have in dealing with him? Add to that the fact that we know his capabilities, and I say sending him off is just asking for a repeat of Silver Fox."  
"I appreciate all your input, but I am still undecided on the matter," Sally concluded. "We will continue this discussion at a later date, but for now I feel we have more pressing problems on our hands; Robotnik's vibrium mine."  
"Oui my Prinzess."  
"Sonic, until we HAVE decided on a course of action where Tails is concerned, I trust you will respect my wishes and leave Tails out of this."  
"All right Princess, but don't think this is over."  
"Now I believe we were discussing the possibility of collapsing the mine in on itself?"  
"Yes Sally. If Sonic still believes he can get the workerbots out of the mine," as Rotor said this Sonic nodded silently, "Then we can use small controlled explosives in strategic locations to collapse the mine without freeing the vibrium. There is still a risk with this plan, especially if the outer wall of the mine ruptures, the vibrium is going to spill into the Great Forest and contaminate it all."  
"Amy might be able to help with zhat," Antoine said. And thus the Freedom Fighters continued to hammer out the details of their plans.  
  
**************************************  
  
Tails flew at top speed for the power ring pool. Just because Sonic wasn't with him didn't mean he couldn't have some fun on his own. Still, the young fox was curious as to why Sally had wanted to get rid of him and talk to Sonic.  
*Oh, well Sonic will probably tell me later. Maybe it's a surprise for me,* Tails thought. As soon as he arrived at the pond, the vulpine slipped off his shoes, socks, and gloves and rose into the air some twenty feet before he stopped his tails could. With a loud splash and a cry of pleasure, the fox kit cannonballed into the water.  
"Hey! Watch out you little twit," yelled an angry voice as Tails resurfaced! Looking around, Tails found the voice's owner standing on the opposite side of the pool, drenched from his wave.  
Amy shook her head, getting the water out of her quills. She could do nothing for her dress, or the blanket she'd been sitting on. Suddenly, she remembered her tarot cards, which had been lying on the blanket as well and quickly began together them up before they suffered water damage. The pink hedgehog then turned back to glare at Tails, only to find that he was no longer treading water, but had swum up to her bank, lying half in and half out of the water.  
"Whaddaya doin' here Amy?" the curious kitsune asked, light blue eyes blinking. It was all Amy could do to remember she was supposed to be angry with him, he looked almost as cute as she was sure Sonic would have.  
"If it's any of your business, Prower, I was practicing my fortunetelling until some flying furball decided I needed a shower!"  
"Well you could use one," Tails said, sniffing the air. Before he could say anything else, however, a hand covered his face roughly shoving him back into the water. Amy smiled as the fox hit the water, quickly putting her cards back into her bag, knowing what would happen next. Sure enough, as soon as Tails's head broke the surface of the water he drew his arms back, bringing them together just one the waters surface, sending a new wave of water to splash Amy. He then swam back to the center of the bond, well out of her reach.  
"If you think I won't get my feet wet to deal with you, Furball, you're in for a real shock," Amy yelled, diving into the water. Realizing his peril, Tails turned to get away but, before he could, Amy was on him, dunking his furry head underwater. Amy did not have time to gloat, however, as Tails grabber her legs and pulled her under with him. The pink hedgehog's eyes adjust in time to see Tails sticking his tongue out at her, then using his namesakes to speed away.  
*Fine,* Amy thought, *If that's the way he wants to play, we can do that too.* Though as a very low level mage Amy possessed few spells, one particular favorite of her's would be perfect to teach Tails a lesson. Surfacing, Amy pointed a gesturing hand at the fleeing fox concentrating as she said, "Waterspout!"  
Before Tails could get out of the water, a strong geyser erupted out of nowhere, launching the little kit into the air. Once again, before Tails could act and right himself for flight, a second geyser at a different angle launched him into the third. On and on this went with Amy laughing at the comedic sight of Tails being bounced around like a ball, until she heard him say the words she wanted to hear.  
"All right, all right... I give." The geysers stopped, depositing Tails back in the pool as Amy climbed out, picking up her things.  
"Next time, Furball, don't insult a lady's odor." Amy smiled as she walked away, leaving Tails to pull himself onto shore.  
  
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*This is maddening,* Snively thought as he desperately tried to scratch his arm and chest. The med-bot had said that the vibrium streaks did not appear dangerous, but the skin under them itched furiously. None of the robots at the mine seemed to notice the little overlander's problems, but they were also more involved with mining the liquid vibrium, which had to be done with the utmost care.  
*I wish I was back in Robotropolis. My med-bots would have already have found a way to alleviate this.* Robotnik, though, had felt his nephew would be put to better use overseeing his precious mine.  
The robots were getting ready to send their first shipment back to Robotropolis, fifteen pounds of the metal in a pressurized energy field. Snively was starting to get worried though. He was sure the Freedom Fighters had gotten the information on the mine, so why hadn't they come to stop Robotnik.  
The itching was getting worse and worse as Snively rolled up his sleeve, desperate to scratch it. That was when he noticed something that filled him with greater alarm, the silver streaks were getting smaller as they sunk beneath his flesh.  
*This can't be good,* Snively thought. *I have to send for my med- bots. I only hope they're able to do something about this.* Snively began to furiously type in commands to Robotropolis, utilizing his private communication lines of course to directly link to the med-bot in question. If luck was with him, the robot would arrive within the hour.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Sonic was still fuming as he left the Warhut.  
"How dare Sally even think about gettin' rid of Tails," the hedgehog grumbled as he walked away from the hut. "And then she makes me promise not to even tell him."  
"Tell him what, Sonic?" a feminine voice behind him asked. Sonic angrily turned around to find a sight that almost instantly lightened his mood. There stood Amy Rose, still dripping from her earlier encounter with Tails. Her quills were all over the place, some actually turned backwards, while others clung to her head and dress. Mud covered her wet shoes and the bag she carried was almost as soaked as she herself. All in all, she looked nothing like the immaculate little girl he'd known for some time.  
"What happened to you?" Sonic asked, laughing.  
"Your little furball hit me with the Power Ring Pool," Amy said indignantly. "You need to teach him how to treat a lady properly."  
"He still at the pool, Amy?"  
"Yeah, I think so, but what were you talking about earlier? Who weren't you supposed to tell what?"  
"Don't worr..." Suddenly, Sonic stopped as a thought crossed his mind. *Sally made me promise not to tell TAILS.* Sonic's eyes narrowed as a smile crossed his face. "Sally's thinkin' of groundin' ol' Tails from any more missions. She even wants ta send him off to another village."  
"Why?" Amy asked, her eyes getting wide.  
"She's afraid he's gonna get hurt around here, him being a kid and all," Sonic answered, being very sure to stress the point. "I gotta catch up to him. You know, in case Sally decides to ship him off." The blue hedgehog waved good-bye as he sped off, leaving behind a slightly confused Amy Rose.  
  
**************************************  
  
Tails was laying on a sunny bank soaking in the rays of the sun as they dried his orange fur. The young fox's ears twitched as he heard the tell-tale sonic boom that always heralded the arrival of the worlds fastest hedgehog. A mischievous smile spread across the vulpine's face.  
Soon Sonic arrived to find the pond completely empty. Curious, and perhaps a little worried, Sonic began to search the banks and soon he came across Tails's clothes. Too late, Sonic realized what was happening.  
"CANNONBALLLLLLL!" came a shout from above. Sonic looked up in time to see an orange ball strike the water, showering the hedgehog just as Amy had been.  
"Didn't you learn your lesson from Amy?" Sonic said, tapping his feet.  
"Yeah, don't splash people who can swim or using magic," Tails said, laughing as he tread water. "Say what'd Aunt Sally want to talk to you about?"  
"It's a big secret, Big Guy, and Sal made me promise not to tell," Sonic answered, ringing his quills.  
"Ahh, c'mon Sonic, you can tell me," the fox began to plead.  
"Sorry Big Guy, but I wouldn't be much of a Mobian if I didn't keep my promises," Sonic answered, even as he thought. *Even if I don't agree with it.*  
"Okay..." Tails said dejectedly. "Are we still gonna go camping tonight?"  
"I don't see..."  
"I'm afraid Sonic is needed elsewhere Tails," letting the two know she was there. Sonic could see she was angry over something, even if she was trying to hide it from the world.  
*What's she angry about? She couldn't have found out that I told Amy,* Sonic thought. "Whatcha talkin' about Sal? I thought I had a free night."  
"Antoine's sick so I need you to take his place on guard duty tonight, and I need to speak with you in private. Tails, honey, do you mind..."  
"Yeah, I know, I know. I'm gonna see if Rosie has anything good to eat."  
"Just don't spoil your dinner, okay," Sally said as the young vulpine grabbed his clothes and took off. Then the squirrel turned her attention back to Sonic.  
"So what is it, Sal?" Sonic again asked, hiding the nervousness in his voice.  
"I lied, you don't have guard duty, but we do have a problem," Sally began. "Charles sent me a message about an hour after the meeting. Robotnik is stepping up the mining of the vibrium mine, big time. He's sent four hyper-miner tanks there, and Nicole says those things will have the place stripped in a day. We can't afford to wait any more, so I need you to help me round up the rest of our team."  
"Gotcha Sally, I'll meetcha at the warhut with everyone else." With that, Sonic sped off.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
"Please stop squirming sir, or you shall break the needle," the med- bot said as it drew blood form it's patient's arm. Snively tried to settle down, but the cold metal table felt very uncomfortable against his skin. His clothes lay on a nearby chair, his green jacket ripped in several places where the material had actually begun to bond to the short overlander's flesh. A look at his chest had given both the robot and the overlander the answer why.  
The streaks had begun to reemerge, and were actually getting bigger. Three of them had actually linked together into a single plated that stretched around his side, fully mimicking the skin. The streaks no longer itched and so far the metal had not restricted any of Snively's movements, but still he couldn't help but be worried. The med-bot said nothing as he began to examine the samples he'd taken from his master. Finally, it turned a sharp scalpel in it's hand. Before Snively could do anything, the scalpel was brought down point first on the metal plate at his side. Instead of piercing the exposed area, the blade shattered, much to Snively's surprise.  
"Just as I thought," the med-bot said nonchalantly.  
"What did you think?!" Snively almost yelled, still a little freaked over his near stabbing.  
"Your skin is being replaced by what appears to be a vibrium substitute, a material that has the strength of vibrium yet remains malleable like real flesh."  
"You mean I'm being covered in vibrium!"  
"No, there wasn't enough vibrium absorbed by your skin. And from what I can tell the vibrium has not contaminated any of your internal systems, but time may change that."  
"What are the short term effects I will have to deal with?"  
"Due to it's metallic nature, any skin converted will loose the pores normally associated with skin. Within a day, the metal should complete it's metamorphosis and harden, allowing you to wear your uniform without fearing becoming one with it. The muscles underneath the skin are also taking on properties similar to vibrium, which should provide better support for the heavier metalloskin. This does give you a quasi- invulnerability, but I don't recommend relying on it. You'll become noticeably heavier, so I would suggest some leg-centered exercises to compensate."  
"And the long term effects?"  
"Your metallo-skin cannot naturally heal itself, and any damage to internal organs under the skin will be impossible to repair. The added weight with increase the strain on your heart, making it essential that maintain your health. Other than that, I could not say."  
"Is there any way to stop it?"  
"No, and there is another problem. The malleable nature of your skin makes the metal replacing it re-usable. I dare say your uncle would love to get his hands on some vibrium with such properties." Snively's eyes widened as a brief image of Robotnik chasing after him with a pickaxe flashed through his mind. "I would suggest hiding your condition from him.  
"I've been meaning to change my look," Snively said as he began to redress. Suddenly he remembered his ruined jacket. "Do you have anything I can wear?" The med-bot reached into a compartment in it's chest, pulling out a white gown.  
"This is the best I can do." Snively grudgingly took the gown and left.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
"Hand me the sugar please, sweety," Rosie said, pointing to the top of the cabinet. Winding up his namesakes, Tails rose to grab the bag of sugar, returning to the ground and handing it to the aged beaver. Rosie was busily making dinner, which was to be Tails's second favorite dish; Rosewater Stew.  
Tails looked out the window just in time to see and hear Sonic running like a mad-hog through the village, collecting Freedom Fighters as he went. The fox could just make out Antoine clinging to Sonic, ad the coyote didn't look sick at all, something that made Tails very suspicious.  
*Aunt Sally said Antoine was sick, why would she lie?* Tails thought. Curious, and just a little offended, Tails bid Rosie good-bye before leaving to track Sonic by air. Sure enough, Sonic led Tails right to the War-hut where the rest of their friends were waiting.  
"Zat was zhe most terriblest I have ever had," Antoine was complaining. "Vous were deliberately making it to be so bumpy."  
"Sure Twan, I got nothing better to do then think up ways to make you sick," Sonic quipped back.  
"Sonic, Antoine, do you mind stepping inside so we can start planning our assault on the mine?" Sally asked in an irritated voice. Sonic and Antoine may keep their arguments to a minimum these days, but it still got on the Princess's nerves when they chose the worst times to pick fights over trivial things.  
"As you wish, my Prinzess."  
"'Kay Sal." both hedgehog and coyote entered the hut as Tails landed on the roof light as a feather and carefully pulled back a piece.. Inside, the fox spotted both Rotor and Bunnie, as well as Dylan and a punky flamingo named Spike. All seven Mobians were looking at a holographic map of a mountain Tails didn't recognize.  
"Sonic, did you tell Amy to come like I asked?" the aristocratic squirrel asked her blue boyfriend.  
"Yeah Sal, but she was helping Sarah bring in some food so she'll probably be a little late."  
"We'll just have to fill her in when she arrives," Sally said. "Nicole, ladder pointer if you please."  
"Yes Princess." A red beam of light extended from the small pocket computer.  
"This is 23K, the mountain from which Robtonik intends to draw the liquid vibrium I told you about. As you all know, processed vibrium is practically indestructible, a quality we do not need to see in ANY of Robotnik's machines again. Apparently Robotnik has anticipated our feelings, and thus has concentrated almost all of his mining power of 23K. He's already managed to secure a shipment of the stuff for himself. We have to act now."  
"So what's the plan?" Rotor asked.  
"I've decided on your suggestion Rotor. We're going to collapse the mine in on itself. Sonic; you, Spike, and Amy will have to get the worker- bots out of the mine." The image of the mountain changes to a picture of the mine, with several red dots at different points. "Antoine, Dylan, Rotor, and myself will split into two teams and place charges at these exact points. It'll be a risky operation, if those bombs are too far off target, it's very possible they will blow a hole in the mountain and flood the Great Forest with vibrium." Suddenly the door opened and Amy walked in.  
"Sorry I'm late Princess."  
"Sonic and Spike will fill you in on your part of the mission. Time is of the essence now and I have to move on. Since we need to stay in contact, I want you all to take you wrist communicators with you. That said, let's head to it." All seven stood to get up, only to be stopped by Sonic.  
"Sally, I gotta ask you again, let Tails come with us."  
"I've already explained to you why he can't come along. We simply can't run the risk of him sustaining injury."  
"He won't, I'll take perfect care of him. He'll be in zero danger from start to finish."  
"You can barely take care of yourself Sonic. And in any event this is neither the time nor the place for this discussion."  
"But..."  
"Dismissed Sonic!" Sally said, a finality in her voice the hedgehog could not deny.  
"Yes Princess," came Sonic's venomous reply as he and the squirrel left the war-hut. Above them, Tails closed the hole in the roof. The little fox was angered by what he had overhead.  
"I don't believe this. Sonic shouldn't have to 'look out' for me. I can take care of myself." Tails teeth clenched as he got angrier. "I'll show her who needs 'protection.'"  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
An hour later found Sonic, Spike, and Amy sneaking around outside the mine while Sally and the others were waiting inside the safety of the trees. Sally hoped the delay between the three teams would give Sonic enough time to get the worker-bots out of the mine.  
"Sonic, are you ready?" Amy asked.  
"Yeah," Sonic answered. "Now remember, we have to do this as quietly as possible. No alarms and a minimum of fuss."  
"Gotcha," both animals said as the trio snuck into the cave. It didn't take long for them to come across their first group of worker-bots, all chipping away at a wall. Nearby, a metal box with two clear tubes rested. Amy reached into her backpack and handed Sonic four scramblers, one for each worker-bot.  
"Sally said these'll take the bots off-line so we can get them out of here quietly. They should stand out enough for Robotnik to figure out what is wrong and not scrap the bots. all you have to do is get them to stay stuck to the worker-bots' bodies."  
"I'm all over it." Sonic was off like a shot, racing to each robot in turn. A few sparks, a bit of twitching, and each of the roboticized mobians completely froze. Amy and Spike moved quickly, stuffing each Robian into a large bag for safekeeping. Their task done, the group continued on to find more Robians to save. It was not a group of worker- bots that the trio came across next however, but a huge chamber easily hundreds of feet in diameter that looked as though someone had carved it directly out of the heart of the mountain. Throughout the chamber, crisscrossing in all directions, were stone bridges upon which many Grounder and Moto-Bug units towed what appeared to be egg-shaped bubbles of energy, some of which contained small quantities of silvery liquid.  
"That must be the vibrium Robotnik's trying to get," Amy said.  
"Ol' Buttnik certainly sent alot of 'bots ta grab it, didn't he?"  
"Of course he has Sonic," Spike said. "With even one robot made from this junk robotnik's gonna be a pretty tough nut to crack."  
"Which is why it's imperative that you three keep quiet and stop him," came a voice behind them. The trio turned to find themselves being watched by Uncle Chuck.  
"Unc!"  
"Keep it down Sonny, none of the workers here are deaf," the robotic hedgehog said, clamping a hand over his nephew's mouth. "This whole mine is on red alert just for you, and the SWATbots have orders to shoot first and not bother to ask questions."  
"Then we need to be extra..."  
"Freedom Fighters... Detain by order of Robotnik." The group scattered just in time to avoid being blasted by a SWATbot's stun-blaster.  
"We've got to destroy it before it alerts the whole mine to your presence here!" Chuck yelled.  
"I'm all over it." Was all Sonic said he revved up into a buzzsaw. The highspeed hedgehog spun between the humanoid robot's legs before bouncing backwards to slice through the mandroid's chest. "Ta-da! This hedgehog is in the zone!"  
"If you're not more careful, it'll be the Zone of Silence," Uncle Chuck retorted. "Now come on, we've got work to do." With that, the four animals quickly made their way down the maze of shafts and bridges, unaware of the shadow following their every mover.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, Sally was busy with problem of her own. One of those problems turned out to be a porcupine by the name of Dylan. If Antoine was troublesome because of his overly cautious nature, Dylan was a hazard because he acted almost to the point of recklessness. Admittedly, he was not as bad as Sonic, but Sonic was an exceptional Mobian taking exceptional risks, Dylan could not boast the same. Sally had the sincere feeling the young porcupine was trying to prove something.  
"Okay Dylan, according to Nicole the next charge needs to go on top of that support beam about two feet..."  
"Not a problem," Dylan said as he threw the cylindrical explosive up and onto the beam. "Now then, where's the next one go?"  
"Dylan!" Sally hissed. "These have to be placed carefully and in the precise place Nicole specified or we run the very real risk of rupturing the entire mine." With those words, the squirrel princess carefully made her way up to the beam, being very careful to remain in the shadows as she did so. She found herself almost wishing Tails HAD accompanied her, the fox cub's flying ability would have come in very handy for this situation. Quickly Sally dispelled the thought. Tails was not here, and wishing for it would accomplish nothing. Soon the bomb was in place and Sally returned to Dylan's side.  
"Sorry Princess."  
"Just be more careful. The last thing we need is for the Great Forest to get flooded with vibrium. Or for the guards to start chasing us down."  
"I say let 'em come, I'm ready for 'em," Dylan answered, performing a front flip only to fall flat on his back.  
*Oh boy...*  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
In another section of the mines, Antoine and Rotor were busy deploying their own bombs. Or rather, Antoine was deploying the bombs while Rotor performed a bit of computer sabotage on Robotnik's equipment. This was unnecessary, of course, as when the mine went all the equipment would be dissolved by the vibrium, but the walrus wanted to be sure nothing could be used. That was when he heard the distinctly nasal voice of Robotnik's nephew and major domo, Snively, heading straight towards them, a SWATbot in tow. Both walrus and coyote pressed back against the wall, with Rotor begging the diminutive overlander not to notice the rather round bulge the wall had suddenly grown.  
Suddenly, Snively stopped and began to look around the mine. Both Freedom Fighters held their breath as Snively's eyes swept over their way. Rotor could almost swear their eyes met in the darkness.  
"Sir, is something amiss?" the SWATbot asked, preparing to go into scanning mode.  
"No, nothing is wrong. I probably just heard an oversized rat," Snively said, moving on with his mechanical bodyguard. As soon as both were out of sight, both Mobians began to breathe again.  
"That was way to closed to be for the comfort," Antoine said. "Perhaps we should to be leaving now, oui?"  
  
"Uh-uh, we have a job to do and Sally is counting on us."  
"Oui, oui, I am forgettinged myself." The duo moved quietly through the corridors, planting bombs in their prescribed places as they went. Suddenly, Antoine was quite surprised to find himself all alone in the corridor.  
"Rotor? ROTOR!?"  
  
"Be quiet," came the tusker's voice from behind a door. The walrus yanked his fearful friend into a room filled with a computer console and several active monitors. Sitting in a chair in front of the screen was a SWATbot, it's body motionless and it's head tilted to the side.  
"Don't worry, it's been deactivated."  
"What ees dis?"  
"The security room, you can see the whole mine from here. And I have a bad feeling that's exactly what someone was doing before we got here."  
"How can you be sure?"  
"'Cause I'm not the one who shut HIM down." Rotor pointed a clawed finger at the disabled robot. Immediately, the walrus went back to work, scanning each monitor in turn. Soon he came across a camera displaying a large chamber criss-crossed with dozens of stone bridges, across one of which traveled Sonic, Spyke, Amy and Uncle Chuck. It was what was on the bridge directly below them, however, that had Rotor worried. He could almost swear he'd seen a figure traveling along the darkened past, shadowing his friends. With skillful speed, the technical Freedom Fighter began to issue commands through the console to the computer controlled security system. In response, the camera began to shift angles, focusing on the darkened bridge.  
"What are we looking for?" Antoine asked, scanning the scene with his own sharper eyes. "Zut Alores!"  
"Oh boy." Rotor turned to his friend. "Ant I need to get in touch with Sonic."  
"Oui, oui." The coyote reached into a pocket and pulled out his communicator, the link between the three teams.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
After having taken care of SWATbot, Sonic and his team busied themselves with getting rid of the parts. After all, it would do no good for someone to find a dismembered SWATbot. Soon the entire thing went over the side of the bridge.  
"Okay, now that that's taken care of," Spyke began before Sonic's gloved hand clamped over the bird's beak. The punky flamingo followed the hedgehog's gaze to above them all. On the bridge above them were Sally and Dylan, both of whom had spotted the group of four.  
"Sonic, how is your mission going?" Sally silently signed down to them.  
"Mission accomplished, Sal. Uncle Chuck says Robo-lips used grounders and drillers instead of worker-bots," Sonic signed back. "Pretty considerate of him I'd say."  
"Very funny Son..."  
"Sonic, LOOK OUT BELOW!!" Rotor's voice exploded from both walkies present. Sonic looked down just in time to see a ball of black energy destroy the section of the bridge he'd been standing on. The force of the blast was enough to send the hedgehog flying past not only the rocks, but also the other bridges and ledges.  
"(wheeze) So long, quickster. (wheeze)" called the figure below them in a rasping voice, waving it's crab-like claw at the falling hero.  
"SONIC!!" Amy called as Sally prepared to use a rope to try to save her friend. This proved unnecessary, however, as from out of the shadowy caverns a small furry form exploded, diving after Sonic. Tails had decided to follow his hero, even without permission, and now he sped to the rescue of his hapless friend. Soon he caught onto Sonic's hands, his twin tails spinning like a tornado as he first slowed then stopped their descent. Soon the two friends began to rise as lift began to outmatch drop, but Sonic's attacker was not yet done with him.  
"Meddling freak, (wheeze) I'll teach you to anger an arch-mage (wheeze)." With those words, black energy once more began to encircle the creature's claw. "With this curse I'll make you pay, a ball with chain to bind thy legs!" Black energy encircled Sonic's waist and ankles. Suddenly, shackles materialized around him, connected by thick and heavy chains to a massive ball of iron that simply hung beneath him. The additional weight quickly proved too much for Tails's tails to offset and the two once more began to slowly sink again.  
"Tails," Sonic said, feeling as though he was being torn in half by the ball and chains. "Let go, save yourself."  
"NO! I won't let you fall down! I CAN do this! I WILL NOT FAIL!" Tails yelled back, willing every ounce of his power and energy into flying.  
"Try all you like foxling (wheeze), you'll both be pulled down to your deaths in the vibrium below, ha ha ha," the wizard cackled, using more dark magic to increase the size of metal ball and sending the duo falling below his perch. The black clad mage leaned over to watch his victims die.  
"I REFUSE TO FAIL!!!" Tails screamed, his eyes changing into a red color as a thruster appeared on the kit's back. From his sides descended four familiar octopus-like tentacles, each possessing three fingers which promptly began to dig into the metal ball.  
"No..." both wizard and Sonic said in unison as silver metal covered the kitsune's orange fur. Immediately his twin tails stopped revolving as the back thruster gave a loud and mighty roar as flames erupted from it propelling both animals upward. As they passed the wizard, Tails looked directly at him, his eyes glowing red as he continued to rise over the astonished mage. Angrily, the assailant fired another bolt of energy, only to watch the black wave bounce harmlessly off the fox's metallic surface. A second roar and Tails and Sonic rose into the air at even greater velocity, going so fast Sonic was afraid he'd be flattened on the cave walls. Suddenly, Tails's head opened as a cylindrical cannon rose from the hole in his head.  
"QUANTUM CANNON FIRE!!" A third and final roar exploded, this time from the fox's head as a beam of pulsating ice-blue fired and smashed into the cavern wall, tearing through the rock like wet paper and providing an exit for both hedgehog and fox.  
"Rotor, Amy," Sally said, activating her walkie-talkie. "Get your teams out of here now, I'm going to detonate the bombs."  
"Sally, I can't guarantee the stability of the mine if you detonate all the explosives now," Rotor countered.  
"We don't have time to be careful anymore," Sally commanded. "Now get out of here."  
  
*********************************  
  
Outside the mountain, Tails and Sonic landed, with the fox's tendrils retracting back into his mechanical body as the ball was set on terra firma. Sonic let go to the robo-kit's hands as he watched Tails slowly land, his thruster cutting off. The blue hedgehog was at a complete loss for words as he stared at his friend's menacing features as Tails began to stride towards him. That was when Tails's form began to sway as his eyes returned to their normal blue color and the metallic armor on his flesh was replaced by orange and white fur. Slowly the fox stumbled and fell down right next to Sonic, his eyes closed and a small snoring coming from his body.  
"Tails? Tails?" Sonic asked, nudging his young friend.  
"It would appear the young meddler has exhausted himself (wheeze) trying to save you," came a familiar rasping voice. "A good thing for him, (wheeze) as he will not have to suffer the pain of the death I intend (wheeze) to inflict on you both."  
"Bring it on, I'll knock you out before you can say word one," Sonic said as he tried to move, only to be rudely reminded of the chains that still bound him. "No!"  
"Not so quick when you can't move your legs (wheeze), eh quickster," the wizard said as a ball of black energy formed around his claw. Before he could cast the spell, however, the energy ball was shattered by an arrow which made a bee-line for Sonic, or more accurately, for his chains. The arrow head landed in the ground dead center of one of the links of the chains, glowing a golden light as it hit. "What trickery is thi....?" The wizard's question was cut off as the arrow began to change shape, growing longer as the feathers at the end changed shape, becoming three metal prongs holding a green stone between them.  
"The Staff of Ages?!" the claw-handed mage said. With a single pulse of golden light, the staff shattered the chains all around Sonic, freeing the hedgehog from the sorcerer's trap.  
"Yes!" Sonic cried as he jumped away from the ruined chains. "Okay loser, lets see how tough you are when your target ain't standing still." The highspeed hedgehog charged at the wizard as more dark energy came his way. Sonic easily dodged the blasts and punched his attacker square in the jaw, knocking the hood of his cloak from his head.  
"Arrgh!"  
"How ya like that, ya psycho spell... What the heck?" Sonic was shocked as he looked upon the face of his attacker. A long white beard fell from a squat face framed by two large pointed bat ears. In the center of the creature's forehead sat a spiraled horn, making for a frightening visage. "Wha are you, some sorta lobster-bat?"  
"(wheeze) I am an archmage older (wheeze) than anything your feeble mind (wheeze) has ever known. I am the final product (wheeze) of the search for the ultimate power. I am he who will be (wheeze) your executioner. You may call me Ixis Naugus."  
"And why do you want me dead so badly?"  
"That is for me to know (wheeze) and for you to never find out. PYROS!" Naugus yelled as he claw hand rose into the air and snapped closed. This ignited a spark and within seconds the wizard was engulfed in flame. Sonic shielded his eyes from the bright light, and when he could see again, the hedgehog saw his opponent was no longer around. Cautiously, Sonic looked back at where he'd previously been chained down, only to discover that the staff that had set him free had disappeared as well. Only the shattered chains and Tails's sleeping form remained. Suddenly, Sonic heard footsteps running towards them, and the hedgehog turned to see Sally, Rotor, and the whole gang coming up.  
"Sonic! You're all right!" Amy cried, wrapping her arms around her hero like a vice.  
"We were so worried about you," Sally said. "Wait, where's Tails? Is he safe?"  
"Yeah he safe and sleepin' soundly over there, all furry and everything too," Sonic said as he attempted to pry Amy from his torso. "Amy, you know I would kinda like to breathe at some point here."  
"Oops sorry."  
"How'd you get out of those chains?" Rotor asked. "And who was that guy who attacked you?"  
"He called himself Ixis Naugus, and he's seems to have a major beef against me," Sonic answered. "But you're not gonna believe how I got outta those chains." Sonic told them about the mysterious Staff of Ages and what Naugus had told him before leaving.  
"Oh you poor baby," Amy exclaimed, once more latching onto Sonic as Rotor lifted Tails off the ground.  
"Well, on the plus side, the Quantum Cannon didn't throw our plans too far off. The mine collapsed on itself and Nicole says she can't find any cracks, so the vibrium isn't going anywhere. The whole thing would be too costly for Robotnik to continue mining. But I imagine he's madder than a hippo with a hernia right now, and has every SWATbot and Combot he can muster searching the immediate vicinity for our heads. That said, I think it would be wise for us to return to Knothole now."  
  
*************************************  
  
A few hours later found Sonic and Sally in the medical hut of Dr. Quack who was busy looking through a microscope. The aged duck kept humming and sighing as he watched the blood specimen he'd taken from the still sleeping Tails. The kit hadn't woken up since he'd been brought back from the mine, but this wasn't what worried the two Freedom Fighter leaders the most.  
"Well doctor, have you found anything?"  
"Nothing overly significant I'm afraid," Dr. Quack said, turning to face the squirrel. "I've compared this current sample of Miles's blood to the samples I took from him after the whole Silver Fox debacle. The nannites inside his blood show signs of activity, but mostly simple maintenance, nothing to indicate they've been restructuring cells into machines."  
"But we saw him transform, Doc. You tellin' me I just imagined that cannon coming out of Tails's head."  
"I understand what your saying Sonic, and I don't doubt what you say you saw. What I'm telling you is that I cannot find any evidence to suggest that the transformation took place."  
"Why? Just cause the nannites don't show signs of major activity. It's been hours, maybe they've just been off since they changed him back."  
"That's just it Sonic. The nannites possess roboticization capabilities, the ability to transmute living organic flesh into metal, but they are not equipped to reverse the process. Once his body is a machine, the nanites become fused and immobile."  
"So how'd he change back?" Sally asked.  
"I don't have an answer for you Princess," the doctor said.  
  
**********************************************  
  
Later that night, the door to Knothole's communications hut opened as a shadowy figure entered the hut. A clicking sound was the only noise made as one of the monitors in the room was turned on, displaying a rather blurry figure.  
"Right on time, I am most glad. I take it you fully believe my story now?"  
"I pride myself on my punctuality, sir, and I had no doubts, merely caution."  
"Of course. So may I assume my activities at the mine has allowed you to begin harvesting the vibrium for our own purposes?"  
"The underground tunnels are providing all the cover we could desire to smuggle the stuff out. I do commend you, from up top the mine looked completely caved in. You did a fantastic job."  
"Flattery will get you nowhere. I'm only interested in the vibrium."  
"Don't worry, we know how to handle it. I can't wait to begin using it to build weapons."  
"No."  
"Sir?"  
"I already have plans for the vibrium, you are not to use any until I say so, understood. Simply collect the two items as I told you."  
"Very well. And as to your eventual extraction."  
"Let me worry about that. As long a I can keep Knothole's nimrods fooled, we have a secret and when we're ready, I guarantee a surprise like nothing they've ever seen before." 


	6. Spy Game

Spy Game

By Asher Tye

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, with other things on my mind, this story kinda took a back seat. Hopefully I can successfully juggle it and everything else again. Also, I decided to change the story's name as you can see. Originally this was just going to be the first three chapters and then I'm done, but since I've decided to try to make it into something of an epic, I thought a name change would be appropriate.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic, Sally, Tails or any of the other characters associated with Sega or Archie. They are being used without permission and I give full credit for their creation to their respective creators.

Timeline: Sometime after the restoration of Echidnopolis but before the whole Master Mogul arc. (Yes I am still using Archie for reference, but from now on it will be only loosely used.)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Move, move, move," Bunnie yelled as she pulled open the hatch leading out of the robot factory. Two figures, a ground squirrel and a walrus moved past her as quickly as they could as laser fire shot past them. At the source of the laser barrage, a familiar blue streak moved back and forth between dozens of SWATbots, trying to keep them from actually getting a good shot at his friends. Not the easiest thing to do in such cramped quarters. As soon as Sally and Rotor had safely escaped through the hatch, Bunnie signaled Sonic that it was time to go. Just before the hatch closed the high-speed hedgehog shot through the opening, much to the chagrin of the SWATbots.

"Sonic we have a big problem."

"What up Sal?"

"Nicole is picking up hundreds of SWATbots, all bearing down on our position," the Princess said. "We need to get out of here now or we'll be overwhelmed."

"Then we'll be needing a ride," Rotor said, gesturing to a hover unit that stood nearby. The Freedom Fighters quickly moved to the hover unit, Nicole's cable link out in Sally's hand as she prepared to hack the machine's computer.

"Nicole can this thing fly?"

"It would appear so, Sally. I am not detecting any major problems with the unit, but I should point out it has no shields and only has half power. That leaves us very few avenues for evasion in the event of pursuit."

"It'll have to do. Sound a retreat for Victor's unit; we'll meet them at the rendezvous point for pick up."

"Complying Sally," the computer said. Sally had no time for any other orders as a laser bolt smacked into the hull of the hover unit.

"Sal we got SWATs," Sonic said as he raced to meet the incoming attackers.

"Sonic get back here," Rotor yelled. "We don't have time for a fi… Agh." The walrus fell backwards as a laser bolt struck his shoulder.

"Rotor!" Bunnie yelled as she moved to her friend using her robotic arm to block the second shot at Rotor.

"Get him inside and start that unit! I'll catch up!" Sonic yelled as he sliced through the SWATbot that had shot Rotor. Bunnie pulled Rotor into the hover unit followed by the princess. In seconds the flying pod began to hum to life and rise into the air. As the door began to close, Sonic jumped off the SWATbot he was busy gutting, sending him flying through the increasingly shrinking hole. Sally sat in the cockpit; Nicole by her side making sure no instrument failures stopped their escape.

"Nicole, can you find where Victor's group is?"

"They are currently one kilometer from the chosen destination. Satellite surveillance shows numerous SWATbots at their position as well. It is highly unlikely they will be able to meet us in time."

"Then we have no choice, we'll go to them." Sally turned back to Sonic and Bunnie. "Find some way they can get on board without us having to land. Anything."

"Gotcha Sally."

"Sally I must point out that it is inadvisable to attempt to retrieve them. This unit is barely serviceable for escape purposes. It is not…"

"You advice is noted and ignored Nicole."

"Understood. I will plot the best possible course for you to take to retrieve them safely." Nicole's monitor began to blink wildly as she took in all the variables.

"Sally, I think we have something here," Sonic said as he held up a metal cable. "We got three of these things back here."

"How long?"

"Not long enough sugah, but I can fix that," Bunnie said, a flame erupting from one of her fingers as she began to weld the cables together. Sally activated the communications system of the hover unit.

"Victor can you hear me."

"I hear you Princess," said a voice as the image of a red fox in a gray jumpsuit appeared on the screen. All around him laser bolts could be seen. "I'm afraid we're pinned down here, though."

"I know, just sit still and we'll pick the four of you up."

"It's only three I'm afraid. The SWATbots got Dodger." At that point the communication link cut out. The hover unit rocked as a laser assault hit them.

"Everybody hang on we have to get out of here." The hover unit flew through the air; quickly leaving the land bound SWATbots behind. It was only a moment later that the craft found itself in another firefight. "Are we ready?"

"One cable ready to grab everyone, Sal," Sonic said as he and Bunnie carried the cable over to door.

"Sssally, we sssee you," came the hissing voice of a red cobra.

"Slade, where's Victor?"

"He'sss been hit," the cobra said as his face appeared on the screen. "Edgar'sss patching him up now."

"We're going to drop a line to you; can you get Victor up as well?"

"I can handle that Princccessssss, but we'll need some cover."

"I've got the hover unit's weapons at half power. It's not much but it should get the job done."

"All right then, drop the cable and let's do it."

"Right." A quick shove and the cable uncoiled as it fell to the ground. Immediately, Slade's hands gripped the line as he began to slither his way up the line, Victor the fox wrapped in his tail. As soon as Slade was a few feet in the air, a black bear, obviously Edgar began to scurry up as well. The SWATbots continued to fire on the trio as they moved, the hover unit's cover fire barely helping them. Just as Slade makes it to with in arms reach of the door, the cable snaps right below him.

"EDGAR!!!" The Freedom Fighters collectively scream as their fellow rebel began to fall backwards to Mobius. On instinct Slade roughly tossed Victor into the hover unit, his tail then wrapping around the cable as he let go with his arms to dive after his comrade. As if on cue, Sonic took off as well, using Slade's body as a road to run down. It all proved for naught however as Sonic and Slade missed the falling bruin's hand and could only watch in horror as he landed with a sickening thud in the sea of robots. Unable to do anything, Sonic could only change his direction, running up Slade as the snake pulled his own body back into the hover unit.

"Sonic where's Edgar?" Sally asked only to see the downcast look on the hedgehog's face. Whatever feelings of sorrow she felt the Princess quickly put aside as the hover unit rocked again, this time from fire coming from the air. The Stealthbots had been summoned.

"Everybody hold on, I'm going to get us out of here." The egg-shaped craft sped up as it zipped through the incoming Stealthbots. The hover-unit's sole combat advantage over a Stealthbot was its maneuverability, and Sally was going to have to use that to her advantage as she dropped altitude into the city.

"Sally, this is an inadvisable course of action," Nicole said. "You have placed yourself within firing range of the SWATbots at ground level."

"Those Stealthbots' lasers will rip this thing to pieces. I can take the blasts of the SWATbots and zipping through the streets should keep us out of the line of fire."

"There is also the new Spy Orbs to consider," Nicole pointed out. Robotnik had recently upgraded his defensive Spy Orbs. Though half again as big as the original ones the new Spy Orbs made up for it with increased detection range, as well as their new offensive weapons. A modified water gun had been mounted on the Spy Orbs, allowing them to squirt mega-muck at those they detect. Each Spy Orb was also now equipped with a small bomb, just in case. Sure enough as Sally looked out, three of the new Spy Orbs were waiting for her Hover-Unit, their squirt guns at the ready. Sally zipped down a side-street to avoid the little machines only to be met with more SWATbots.

_&This is not working. I have to think of something or we're toast,&_ Sally thought. Out of the corner of her eye, the squirrel saw something that gave her an idea. "Guys I have a plan, but you need to do what I say when I say okay?"

"Count on us Sally." The Hover Unit gained altitude again, turning and heading towards the waste management plant of the city. Predictably the Stealthbots began to close in on the rogue unit. Sally continued using a twisting path, trying to avoid the steady laser fire from the robotic flyers as she made her way to the plant. Soon she was circling the plant, the Stealthbots giving chase as the Spy Orbs and SWATbots closed in. Once, twice the hover unit circled the plant. It was on the third circle that it suddenly turned. The Stealthbots moved to avoid crashing into the hover unit, breaking off pursuit. Unfortunately, for them at least, this set them right in the path of the incoming Spy Orbs, which were not programmed to avoid collisions. The resulting explosion sent debris flying down at the SWATbots below, forcing them to scatter or be destroyed. By the time any new Stealthbots could be deployed, the hover unit carrying the Freedom Fighters had already left Robotropolis airspace.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Inside the command center, Snively, second-in-command of the city, watched the chase unfold to its explosive conclusion. Timidly, he turned to his uncle, the Lord of Robotropolis, Robotnik himself.

"Sir.. I'm… I'm afraid the Freedom Fighters escaped…" The small overlander braced himself for the angry scream he was sure to hear.

"Did we get any of them?" Robotnik asked in surprisingly calm voice.

"Well… we were able to take out two of them, but neither were prime targets."

"Ah well, we shall have better luck next time."

"I must say, Doctor, you're taking this rather well…"

"Of course I am Snively. The information we used to plan this little ambush has proven quite reliable, and the promised two bodies were delivered…. Yes I think we'll continue this relationship with our little informant."

"As… As you wish sir."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"This is the third time Robotnik's had troops waiting for us, Sally-girl," Bunnie said as the group made it back to Knothole.

"I know Bunnie," Sally said flatly.

"Don't you think that's more than a coincidence?" Sally whirled around on her friend.

"Are you suggesting there's a spy in Knothole?"

"Well it's not like it doesn't happen," Sonic interjected.

"I know," Sally said bitterness in her voice. "I want you two to stay out of this okay."

"Sal?"

"This is not open for discussion Sonic." With that the princess turned and left.

"What was that about?" Sonic asked the air.

"I wouldn't take it so hard, Sonic," Rotor said, limping up to his blue friend. "Like you said, this wouldn't be the first time a spy's been able get into Knothole, or even that we've been betrayed by someone already here. I think Sally may be taking it personal this time."

"Nah Sally's not that thin-furred."

"It speaks about her ability as a leader that this keeps happening, Sonic. I imagine it gets very disheartening to know she's failing those people."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Tails moved with practiced stealth through Knothole, an easy feat considering he could quite literally rise above those trapped on the ground. Sonic had returned almost an hour ago, but the young fox had heard nothing from his hero, and that rankled him more than anything else. Soon the fox found himself in front of the hut that served as the home/hospital of Dr. Quack, Knothole's resident doctor.

"How isssss he doctor?" came the reptilian voice of Slade, a voice that always had the effect of making Tails's skin crawl. That was something of a pity as he was actually rather fond of the snake Freedom Fighter.

"Victor is resting now; the sedatives I gave him should keep him asleep. Fortunately the wound was not very bad; I think most of the problem came from his hysteria about infection. I imagine he'll be able to move quite freely within a day or so."

"Victor issss a hypochondriac, but that doessss not mean hissss fears are invalid. I would hate to lossse such a leader to something that could be sasses easily prevented."

"Don't worry, you won't. The Great Forest may not be the most sanitary of places, but my little patch of it is fortified against any microbes that might be wandering around." Tails heard the door to the building open as Slade began to leave. "Just let him get some rest and before long he'll be back and ready to go on missions again."

"Very well doctor. I look forward to ssssseeing you again." The snake slithered out the door. "Ssssally would not be too pleasssssed with you Tailssss, if she knew you were eavessssdropping again."

"Did… did something happen on the mission."

"Robotnik got lucky, that's what happened," Sonic said as he appeared out of nowhere. Slade was somewhat surprised, not really used to the hedgehog's tendency to appear out of thin air.

"Sssssonic, fancy meeting you here," Slade said. "Issss the Princesssss feeling any better?"

"Sal's been going over everything that occurred during our mission, both here and in the field. With any luck she can figure out who the scumbag is who squealed to Ro-Buttnik so we can nail 'im."

"Exccccellent, I know I owe whoever it is a few lickssss for the scalesss those crummy bots singed off me."

"Do you really think there's another spy in Knothole, Sonic?" Tails asked, concern evident in his voice. The young kit understood perfectly what it meant that they could have another spy on their hands meant. Suspicions would begin to rise in Knothole as the finger of blame began to be pointed at everyone. Certain factions in Knothole would definitely use this as "yet another example of Sally's ineffective and unpopular leadership." More importantly, it made any mission undertaken until the spy was caught much more dangerous, particularly for Sonic.

"Rotor seems to think so big guy, and Sal's refusing to consider anything else," Sonic replied. "She's probably trying to use Nicole to narrow down the list of suspects." Tails became visibly disappointed at this and Sonic decided it was a good idea to brighten the fox's mood. "Hey big guy, wanna jet with me over to Ant's and see if he'll let us borrow that dart board of his?" Tails looked at Sonic, a peculiar look on his face Sonic couldn't really recognize.

"Sorry Sonic, but I need to go, um, check on something, yeah that's right," Tails said as he put on his most innocent face. Before Sonic could even ask the most obvious question, the two-tailed fox was gone leaving only a cloud of smoke as he did so.

"I wonder where he isssss off to in such a hurry?" Slade asked.

"I don't know, he's been running off by himself a lot lately."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So, I take it my information proved accurate?"

"Almost to the letter, though I trust you will not be offended if I continue to question your motives."

"Not at all Doctor. Now then, as to what I want for all my help…"

"Yes yes, I got your message on that subject. Though I must admit I find it quite strange for a Mobian to actually be asking me to roboticize them. If that's all you wanted, you could simply let yourself be caught by a SWATbot."

"They say it takes all kinds, doctor. Now, do I have a yes, or a no?"

"Well, there in lies the rub. How do I know you won't betray me the moment I finish?"

"How do I know you won't mess with me while I'm undergoing the process? All deals require a little bit of faith on both parties, and considering what happened to Sleuth Doggy and Drago, I'd say I'm the one going out on a limb here."

"Very well. I look forward to your next transmission. Though this time, I will expect something a bit more substantial than two unknowns."

"What do you have in mind?"

"If you really want what you say you want… give me the Princess and the Hedgehog."

"I was hoping you'd ask for that soon." Sharp, predatory teeth shone in the darkness as a traitor grinned.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Displaying all communication logs," Nicole said as immediately a holographic projection of Robotropolis's Communications was displayed. Only a few days had passed since the failed mission to Robotropolis, finding Sally and Rotor in her hut working.

"So what are we supposed to be looking at Sal?" Rotor asked; his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was being shown. The walrus had been noting a less than thrilling change in the Freedom Fighter leader's behavior over the past few days. The walrus hoped that in this environment, the Princess would be more inclined to unburden herself to him. Sonic was her boyfriend, and Bunnie was her best friend, but Rotor was often the one who served as a sounding board for the young Acorn's anxiety, particularly since Julayla's passing. Though it didn't really take the walrus's genius level IQ to figure out what was bother his friend. He was quite sure this evening would entail him having listen to a somewhat unfair stream of questions as to her effectiveness as a leader, questions designed to get out the hurt and betrayal she was obviously feeling towards those she worked so hard to serve, a necessary job he gladly undertook for the sake of his overtaxed friend's sanity. Thus did he brace himself for his answer.

"You're looking for any sort of incoming message to Robotnik whose source isn't immediately obvious. I don't like the idea of having a spy in Knothole again, but I like even less the prospect of ignoring one, especially with all the recent problems we've been having. I intend to show Robotnik that there is a price for cross me like that."

"Woah, Sally, no need to bite my head off," Rotor said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. That was when he happened to glance over at what Sally was looking at. It appeared to be a list of individual Freedom Fighters and there telecommunications habits. Three names in particular stuck out at him; Bunnie Rabbot, Sonic Hedgehog, and his own. "Uh, you told me what I'm looking for, Sally, but what exactly are you looking for?"

"Any transmissions between Knothole and any suspicious or unknown destination," Sally replied in a monotone voice.

"I can understand that, but surely you don't suspect everyone," Rotor said with a smile as he went back looking through his own list.

"That depends; care to reveal who you called in the Great Northern Tundra?" Sally asked in a voice that seemed sarcastically joking to the walrus. When he looked up, however, he noticed the suspicious look in the squirrel's eyes.

"You can't be serious… We've been friends since the beginning of this thing, and you think I might betray the cause?" Rotor demanded in a voice that was both hurt and insulted.

"Lupe trusted Drago, Fly Fly Freddy trusted Sleuth," Sally answered as she turned back towards the holographic screen before her. "And I shouldn't even have to go into Silver Fox's origins. Quite apparently, Robotnik can get to pretty much anyone."

"Maybe, but with all our history, you'd think we'd warrant a little more trust," Rotor said as he got to his feet in an angry huff. "If you'll excuse me, Princess, I think I need to get some air before I say something that might incriminate me as a traitor." With that, the walrus was gone, leaving the squirrel all alone. Once he was gone, Nicole decided to comment.

"Sally, the message you were waiting for has come in. He's ready." Sally tore her attention away from the door her friend had just left, the same stoic visage on her face

"Excellent Nicole, now we can catch ourselves a spy."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You're kiddin' me," Sonic said later as Rotor finished telling him about what he'd seen in Sally's hut. The walrus was sitting in the community mess-hall, a cup of coffee before him that was only half full, Sonic, Bunnie, and Antoine sitting around him.

"I'm not Sonic, I heard her as clear as a bell," Rotor said. "She as much as accused me of being in cahoots with Robotnik. What's more she suspects all of us of the same thing. I'm half surprised she hasn't accused Tails of planning his own kidnapping just so HE could be a spy." The walrus was still very much upset over his earlier conversation with his "friend."

"I just can't believe Sally-girl could think something like that," Bunny said. For his part, Antoine was clearly torn in how he should react. On the one hand, he was a loyal "knight" for the Kingdom of Acorn and thus he was duty bound to support his Princess in every decision she made. On the other hand, he had always BEEN loyal, and it hurt a great deal that all that loyalty basically amounted to nothing when the possibility of a spy reared its ugly head.

"Soneeque, maybe you can talk to zhe Princess, yes? Remind her zhat we are all her friends, ness pah?"

"Won't do any good," a cynical Rotor said. "She's all but convinced herself that she's the only one she can trust…"

"Well she must still see some value in the rest of us, 'cause she wants us for a mission," came the voice of Victor as he walked up to the group, Slade slithering right behind him. "We're gonna take another stab at detonating Robotnik's Egg-Generator."

"Count me out," Rotor said.

"Rot, what's wrong?" Bunnie asked, though she could guess the answer.

"I'm willing to help out friends and stop Robotnik, but I don't think it's fair to ask me to put my life on the line for someone who doesn't trust me."

"Rotor, Sally will come around, you'll see…"

"Sonic, we've given the Princess everything. I've given her everything. We've trusted her when we've had nothing to go on but her assurances, but if this is how easy it is to lose HER trust then… then I say forget it!"

"Rotor, you cannot be serious."

"I… I don't know," the walrus got up and turned his back to his friends. "Look, I'm not saying I want to quit the Freedom Fighters… I'm not sure what I'm saying really… but with the situation with Tails, and this… I do know I'm no use to you guys until I can sort this out… I wish you luck on the mission but… I'm not going." With that, Rotor Tusker left the cabin.

"Anyone else feel the same way?" Sonic asked, clearly disturbed over what he'd just heard. Everybody else shook their heads slowly, though each face held worry in it over what their aquatic friend had said. Slowly, all five Mobians left the mess-hall and traveled over to the war-hut where Sally stood waiting for them.

"Where's Rotor?" the squirrel Princess asked in a tone that denoted some impatience.

"He said he doesn't want to come," Sonic answered. "He's real…"

"Fine, then, we'll do this without him," Sally interrupted, uninterested in what Sonic had to say. The blue hedgehog was somewhat shocked at his friend's uncharacteristically blatant disregard for the walrus's feelings.

"Sal, I think you may need to talk to him…"

"Later Sonic, we have more important things right now," Sally commanded as she pulled out Nicole and began projecting a three dimensional map of Robotropolis.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Rotor sat at the Power Ring pond, an angry look on his tusked face as he kicked at the water with his clawed feet/flippers. Part of that anger was directed at Sally, but another part was directed at himself. The Freedom Fighters were a team. They'd sworn an oath to do everything they could to help each other in the fight to overthrow Robotnik and take back their homes. And yet here he was, essentially throwing a tantrum and letting his hurt feelings get in the way of his helping where he would quite possibly be needed.

And yet, it had been nearly an hour and no one had come for him.

The sound of air being moved rapidly reached the walrus's ears, the same sound a helicopter made when as it moved through the air. The tusker had little trouble identifying who would use such an unusual mode of transport. An orange, furry body landed right next to Rotor and he turned to stare at the look of confusion on the face of Tails.

"What are you doing here?" Tails asked, his voice not accusatory, even if Rotor felt it should be. "I just saw Sonic and the others leave on a mission, I thought you were with them."

"They… didn't need me," Rotor lied. They needed him, and they hadn't had any part in the decision for him not to go.

"Well that seems kinda dumb, 'specially for Aunt Sally," Tails responded as he stripped off his shoes and socks and dipped his feet into the water. As Rotor looked at the fox, he couldn't help but think back to that fateful meeting they'd had where Sally had admitted she was considering sending the kit away. Again Rotor had spoken against her, though admittedly it was not solely Tails he had been concerned about. She hadn't acted on it, in fact the walrus had almost been ready to believe that Sally had given up the idea, but with this…

And Tails didn't even know his fate was up in the air. Had Rotor's wandering eye not fallen on what Sally was working on, none of the others would know she suspected them either. Silently Rotor wondered when he'd been designated the universe's secret keeper.

"Well," Tails began, "since you're obviously not doing anything know, maybe we could do something together."

"I don't know, I'm no Sonic. I can't really do all those high-speed things you and he love to do all the time."

"Well Sonic's not here," Tails said playfully. "Besides, we have things in common, don't we?" Tails thought for a moment. "I like to build stuff and so do you. Maybe we can work on a project together." Now it was Rotor's turn to think.

"Sure, why not. It has been a while since we went tinkering together. It'd be nice to see how far you've advanced."

"Cool, I'll grab my tools and meet you at your workshop," Tails said as he pulled his footwear back on and jumped into the air, using his tails to hover as he did so. Rotor too got up to leave, only to suddenly feel very woozy as he did so. Once he regained his balance, he found himself looking a taller figure wearing a full, blue cloak that his everything about him but his hands. Those hands held a long silver staff with three prongs at the top holding onto what looked like a crystal skull. The shaft of the staff was covered with strange markings that looked to Rotor's eye to be some form of ancient Mobian.

"He must not leave," came a voice the walrus could only assume was the figure's voice.

"'He must not leave?' What's that supposed to mean?" All of a sudden the wind picked up out of nowhere and Rotor's hands moved quickly to keep his hat from flying off as he closed his eyes to keep the flying dirt from hitting him.

"He must not leave," the voice said again. When the mechanic opened his eyes, the figure was gone, not even leaving footprints behind. "Or destruction will come again…"

"Weird," was all Rotor could say in response.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Jeeze Louise, more of those SWAT-butts," Sonic said as he peered around the corner of one of Robotropolis's grim encrusted buildings. Behind him, Slade and Victor stood, his partners for this mission. Sally had chosen to break the group up into three groups, though Sonic had had some reservations about that. He, Victor, and Slade were group one; Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine were group two. No sir, Sonic didn't like it at all; particularly with how Robotnik had beefed up security.

"The SssWATbotsss I can deal with, Sssonic, it'sss those blasssted Combotsss that give me headaches," Slade said as he held a pilfered laser rifle in his hands. The snake's ability to wiggle his way through areas too narrow for normal Mobians had allowed him to pick the weapon up from a storage room, as well as one for Victor. Sonic, adverse to guns, had opted to remain "unarmed" as it were. Still the sheer number of guards was beginning to concern him.

"Sonic to Sally, Sonic to Sally, come in Sally," Sonic spoke into his wrist communicator. Immediately the Princess responded.

"What is it Sonic?" Sonic cringed inwardly at the tone in his friend's voice. The squirrel was most definitely on edge for this mission.

"We're running in to loads of SWATs out here Sally. I'm no chicken, but this is getting mondo dangerous, even for me. Maybe we should regroup and replan."

"NO!" Sally suddenly blurted. "I mean… falling back is not an option Sonic. No matter what happens, do your job and keep Robotnik from sniffing us out. Sally out." With that, Sally broke off communication, leaving a somewhat disturbed hedgehog in her wake.

"So, what do we do now, team leader?" Victor said as he moved carefully to avoid the grim of the building, his skin visibly crawling as he looked at it.

"We have our orders, let's move." With that, the trio zipped across the street, careful to avoid as many of the sentries as they could. Those they couldn't were destroyed with as much secrecy as possible.

"I'm gonna try to scout ahead, see if I can find us a road less traveled," Sonic said as he revved up his feet, only to be grabbed by the arm by Slade.

"Are you sssure that'sss wissse Sssonic. Sssally's ordersss were to ssstick together."

"I say go for it," Victor said. "The last thing I wanna do is get shot again in this filthy disgusting city."

"Okay, you two hang tight, and I'll be right back." With that, Sonic was off like a shot through the streets of Robotropolis. All around him SWATbots patrolled the streets in groups along with Spy Orbs and Stealthbots who reigned over the skies.

&_Guess ol' Blubber-butt hasn't been able to fully replace 'em with Combots. Or maybe these are the super model he was workin' on,&_ Sonic thought to himself as he watched the robots patrol. &_Either way this is some seriously bad news. I don't know what Sally's thinking of.&_ Quickly, Sonic began to zip back to his friends, only to be greeted by shouting and the sound of laser fire. Increasing his speed, Sonic made it back to the alley just in time for an explosion send him flying into the wall along with Victor. Quickly recovering, the hedgehog turned to the fox.

"What happened?"

"SWATs came. We tried to hold them off, but one of them got Slade's rifle. Ignited the power charges," Victor said. "I only just made it to the end of the alley before it exploded, but Slade couldn't get away."

"We gotta get outta here. That explosion's sure to bring some SWATbutts our way."

"But Slade…"

"I hate to say it, but if he didn't come out the way you did, he's more than likely toast by now," Sonic said in a somewhat defeated tone. He didn't like losing Freedom Fighters, nobody did, but he was very well aware of the fact that if he and Victor got caught, it would leave the other three wide open. Grabbing the fox's hand, he took off at top speed.

& & &

"Duck Antoine!" Bunnie yelled as she fired a laser from her mechanical arm at an incoming Spy Orb. The machine's explosion was strangled by the mega-muck it carried that quickly expanded out of its containment and fell in a glob to the floor.

"Zhere are simply too many for us to be handling," Antoine said as he used his sword to slice through the neck of a SWATbot.

"That's kinda the point Suger-Twan, we're supposed to be playin' distraction for Sonic and his group," Bunnie said. "But I must admit its getting' so a lady can't even stretch out her arms without finding one o' 'Buttnik's toys in her hand." Quickly she flipped up her communicator on her arm.

"What is it Bunnie?" Sally asked in a hushed tone.

"Well, I do hate to be a bother an' all, Sally-girl, but me an' Antoine are kinda getting our hindquarters handed to us over here. Are you guys gonna be much longer?"

"We're almost in position Bunnie, just make sure you keep those bots occupied."

"Um, any idea when we'll be able to leave."

"You'll know when we're done Bunnie, believe me. Sally out." Once more the squirrel Princess ended communications.

"Looks like we're on our own Twan."

"Do not worry, Bunnie, I will be here to protect you from zhese evil horrids."

"No offense Sugar, but I think we need to move this to a better location, they're coming at us from all sides here."

"Zhere is a warehouse only a few blocks down. Perhaps if we are leaving in there, zhe robots they will follow us."

"Sounds like a plan." With that, the two furries beat a hasty retreat through the streets of Robotropolis. Soon they arrived at the aforementioned warehouse, only to find that the door to it had been locked. Fortunately, Bunnie proved to make an excellent skeleton key as she ripped the door from its hinges with her metallic hand. "Come on, Twan."

"Right behind you," Antoine said. Inside, they found that the warehouse had been used to store tanks and tanks of fuel used for the variety of vehicles under Robotnik's command.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this," Bunnie said as she looked about at the various containers marked flammable. "Ant we can't stay here, one stray shot could… hmph." Bunnie never got chance to finish her speech, however, as a big hand clamped itself over her mouth and forcefully drug her back into the shadows of the warehouse, its mate repeating the act with Antoine. As their robotic pursuers entered the building, a black furred hand casually tossed an active grenade into the room. The SWATbots took a few seconds to analyze the situation, realizing their peril only a second before the incendiary exploded, igniting the stored fuel tanks and causing the whole warehouse to erupt in explosive fire.

& & &

"Good news Dr. Robotnik, reports say two of the Freedom Fighters detected in the city were wiped out," Snively said, a pleased look on his face as he turned to his uncle. "The rabbit and the coyote appear to have been vaporized in an explosion."

"I do not care about those miserable bit players, Snively, I care only for the hedgehog and the Princess," Robotnik replied in an irritated voice. "Without those two, the Freedom Fighters will fall like dominoes before my power."

"Not bloody likely you fat pig," Snively said under his breath as he turned back to the monitor.

"What was that, Snively?"

"I said, we'll have to work hard to fill an order that big," the short human answered, though it was apparent Robotnik didn't believe him for an instant.

"What is the status of the hedgehog and the Princess?"

"Sonic is still alive, apparently, but he's in the company of the fox… Victor." At this Robotnik gave an evil grin.

"Excellent, and the Princess?"

"We… uh… don't know where she is," Snively admitted sheepishly, yelping as Robotnik reached out and grabbed the back of his collar, roughly hoisting the little Overlander to him.

"WHAT?! How can you not know where she is?"

"Well we've been searching for her ever since we were told the Freedom Fighters were here, but she isn't with either group. It appears she's broken off for her own mission."

"Hmmm, Sonic's team was the distraction. The rabbit and the fool were supposed to destroy my generator. What target could the Princess possibly be after on her…" Robotnik's eyes opened wide as he realized something. "My computer system, of course. She obviously knows she has a traitor in Knothole. She's come to my Command Center, she wants to find out who it is." Realizing this Robotnik pressed a button on his chair, opening a compartment from which he drew his personal particle laser as he got up from said chair. "Well, let it never be said I was not an attentive host, eh Snively."

& & &

As Robotnik had guessed, Sally was indeed in his Egg Command center, though she was not going towards his computer consoles, but rather towards the roof. Despite Rotor's not all together unexpected refusal to go on the mission, her plan was proceeding very well. And with any luck it would continue to do so, so long as everyone acted the way she needed them to. Suddenly, the small handheld computer she forever carried with her chirped to life.

"Sally, I have just received the signal. Team 2 has been prepared."

"Excellent, and Team 1?"

"Following the plan precisely," Nicole said. The digital entity paused for a few moments. "Sally, once again I feel I must advise against this course of action. I understand your reasoning, but I can think of a multitude of ways this plan of yours can backfire. I can already see it starting to as we speak."

"I understand your concerns Nicole, but this was the only way I could think to do this," Sally said. "I'll make it up to them, I promise, but for now we have a job to do or everything is going to be useless."

& & &

Sonic and Victor sped with wild abandon through the city, alerting SWATbot after SWATbot to their presence. While this was what they had been ordered to do, it was seriously cutting into their ability to maneuver as the streets became more and more crowded.

"Sonic," Victor yelled. "Maybe we can lose them on the rooftops." The fox pointed to scaffolding that wound around one of the buildings being repaired. With nowhere better to go, Sonic took it. Unfortunately, while this particular building was nearing completion, the buildings surrounding it were not, a fact that became quite obvious to Sonic as he gazed out across the buildings to see none of them had any roofs too them yet.

"Well shoot, this was a bad idea," the hedgehog said. "Guess we're gonna have to fight our way back down and try this again."

"Sorry Sonic," Victor said as Sonic heard the sound of the fox's laser rifle powering up, "but I'm afraid that's not going to happen." Sonic turned back to Victor to discover that the fox had leveled his rifle directly at Sonic's stomach, a nasty smirk on his face. It took only the length of a second for Sonic's face to go from shock to grim understanding, and in that second, Victor pulled the gun's trigger, releasing a bolt of energy at Sonic at point-blank range. Fast though he was, even Sonic wasn't able to dodge the fire at that range, and the bolt sent him flying helplessly backward, over the side of the building, and into the darkness below. Calm in the face of what he had done, the fox unclipped a communications device from his hip.

"Victor to Dr. Robotnik, come in Doctor."

"Victor! What do you want?" the dark doctor's voice said over the airwaves.

"Thought you'd like to know I've eliminated your hedgehog problem," the former Freedom Fighter said nonchalantly.

"Sonic's dead? You're sure?"

"Unless he's laser proof at a range of about a foot, yes." There was a pause during which Victor could almost imagine Robotnik performing a private happy dance wherever he was.

"You've done very well, Victor, very well indeed, but your job isn't done yet," Robotnik said, his voice sounding almost giddy as he spoke. "There is still the Princess to deal with."

"Right, I'll truck over to Bunnie and Antoine's location and then I'll…"

"She's not with them," the overweight Overlander said. "No, I think she split off and is inside my Command Center. Internal sensors indicate a warm body heading for the roof… perhaps you should be there to greet her."

"Wait a minute Doc, I'm no Sonic, I can't move that fast."

"I'm hereby giving you the authority to commandeer one of the sky-bikes from the SWATbots. Use it to get here and then… I can watch you remove the last thorn from my side."

"With pleasure Doctor."

& & &

Sonic felt terrible to say the least. He'd woken up in a dumpster filled with who knew what kind of foul smelling trash Robotnik had that wasn't' metal, his gut hurting like he'd just taken a punch from Bunnie fired out of a cannon… which in a sense he had. The trouble was, after he'd taken that shot, he wasn't sure HOW he'd wound up in the dumpster. By all accounts, he should have been street pizza or worse… hedgehog shish-kabob. That was when a realization struck him.

"The others don't know about Victor," Sonic said as he sped away down the suddenly uncrowded streets.

& & &

Sally grunted as she lifted the grill off the ventilation exhaust that sat on the roof of Robotnik's Command Center. Suddenly, the sound of engines came to the squirrel's ears as she saw a hoverbike come in for a landing. Ready for a fight, she was quite relieved when Victor got out of the contraption holding the laser rifle.

"Victor, I'm so glad to see you," Sally said as she ran up to greet her friend.

"Me too, Princess," the fox replied.

"And I guess I make three, don't I," Robotnik said as he made his appearance on the roof of the building, particle laser in his hand. "Princess, you surprise me. What would your dear Julayla say, you leaving without so much as saying 'Hello?'"

"She'd say I can be excused for not wishing to be in such bad company," Sally spat back. "I'm surprised, Doctor. I didn't think you had the courage to challenge two opponents all by yourself."

"Oh, I can be quite brave, Princess. Particularly where such a beautiful prize as yourself is con…"

"VICTOR!!!" yelled Sonic as the blue hedgehog raced his way up the side of the building, anger in his eyes.

"Sonic?!" Robotnik yelped, startled at seeing the hedgehog he'd thought dead suddenly announcing his presence. Angrily he turned back to Victor. "You useless vulpine, you told me he was dead!"

"I did, and he will be, but first I have other business to take care of," the fox said as he grabbed Sally roughly. With Sonic around, time was always of the essence.

"What are you…?"

"It's nothing personal, Princess, but I don't want to live in a germ infested forest anymore," Victor said as he forced the smaller squirrel to the side of the building. Thus is was that the first thing Sonic saw as he finally made his way up to the roof was Victor successfully shoving his friend off the building.

"SALLY!" Sonic yelled as he raced over to the falling squirrel, only barely missing her fingers as she began her gravity assisted descent to the ground below. Unable to save the woman he loved, Sonic settled for the next best thing; revenge.

The blow was sudden and savage, as savage as the hedgehog himself felt, and it sent Victor roughly to the roof. Quickly the fox tried to bring his laser rifle to bear on his attacker, only watch Sonic roughly kick it from his hand and across the roof. Behind them both, Robotnik chuckled at his victory. Sally was surely dead by now and, even if Victor couldn't get the job done, Sonic would be dead soon too. The mad dictator lowered his weapon and smiled as he watched the battle between the two Mobians, not really caring who the victor was, only for the entertaining carnage it would bring. Victor may have been older and bigger, but Sonic was faster, more experience, and more skilled, and it showed when the hedgehog brutally slammed his opponent into the rocky guardrail that was used to prevent guards from falling over the edge, trying to push him over.

"What do you think you're doing?" a seemingly terrified Victor asked as he looked at the long way down the building.

"Tails is the only fox I know who can fly," Sonic answered flippantly, "so I figure you'll make a nice splat when you hit bottom. Serves you right you filthy traitor."

"Yes, yes, kill him, KILL HIM!" Robotnik chanted, egging his nemesis on with a hungry look in his metallic eyes. The insane doctor's glee was swiftly broken, however, as a loud series of explosions rocked the city. "What was that?"

"Off hand, I'd say those were the explosives Edgar's been placing taking out your loser generator," Victor said, suddenly much calmer even as Sonic held him down.

"Wha… What? But I thought you killed him, I saw the body…"

"Sonic let me go," Victor said to the stunned hedgehog, who absentmindedly obeyed. He, like the doctor, had also believed the big black bear to be dead. Seeing the confused looks, the fox decided to elaborate. "Sorry to disappoint you Doc, but I'm afraid you've been had. And in more ways than one." Suddenly, everyone became aware of the sound of engines getting louder and louder. Over the side of the building, a Stealthbot could be seen rising slowing into the air, Princess Sally Acorn reclining leisurely on one of the wings. In its cockpit, Slade could be seen piloting, a sneaky grin on his face as he looked over at his Overlander enemy.

"Why Doctor, you look like you've seen a ghost," Sally said in a snide voice.

"This was… this was all a trick," Robotnik stammered out in disbelief. "All a trick to get me to lower my defenses so you could destroy my beautiful generator."

"Well, I can't take all the credit. I had a really good instructor in the art of being deceptive," Sally taunted. "Sonic, Victor, let's go, we've got friends to get back to." The fox pulled the still stunned hedgehog into the fighter craft as Sally herself got in as well. Before she got in, however, the squirrel Princess turned back to Robotnik.

"And on a more personal not doctor, have a really rotten day." So saying, Sally blew the fat Overlander a mocking kiss as the corrupted Stealthbot left. On the roof, Robotnik's right eye began to twitch uncontrollably as his mind processed what had just happened to him. Finally, he could bear it no longer.

"I HATE THAT SQUIRREL!!!!!!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So all this was a trick you, Victor, Slade, and Edgar came up with?" Sonic asked as he rubbed his still sore tummy. Night had fallen since the group had returned to Knothole and was now in the process of celebrating the great success of their mission, but Sonic, Bunnie, and Antoine had still been somewhat confused as to what had happened.

"Robotnik is so quick to believe the worst about others, I thought it'd be nice to give him a taste of his own medicine for once," Sally answered. "And I'll just bet you next time he'll be a lot less willing to trust someone who calls themselves a traitor."

"But why keep us in the dark, Sally-girl, didn't ya trust us?"

"I'm sorry about that, but I needed you all to act as normally as possible or Robotnik would have gotten suspicious," Sally explained. "If I hurt any of your feelings, I can only say I'm sorry."

"S'not a problem Sal. I mean, we did get Buttnik good." Sally laughed at the hedgehog's statement.

"That is an understatement. Without that generator, sixty percent of Robotropolis is now completely off-line. And I'm betting Robotnik's going to be so hot for revenge against us, there's no way he'll put enough resources towards fixing it any time soon. If we play this right, we'll have pretty much free run of Robotropolis for months."

"How nice for us," Rotor said, suddenly appearing before the celebrating Freedom Fighters.

"Rotor," Sally said. "I'm glad we met. I wanted to talk to you…"

"You don't have to explain, I heard everything and I understand." Sally smiled at this as she walked up to her tusked friend.

"I was afraid you were still mad at…"

"I said I understood, I didn't say I wasn't upset, or that I forgave you." At the walrus's words, the celebration seemed to die as the Freedom Fighters turned to the confrontation between Rotor and Sally. "The fact remains that you didn't trust any of us when you should have."

"I needed you all to..."

"Yeah yeah, I know. You needed us to 'act as naturally as possible.' Which probably says a lot about how much you've got us figured out, doesn't it? Never mind the fact that we were all worried about you, despite the fact that you weren't worried about us."

"That's not true…"

"I spent the entire day trying to understand why you were acting like such a jerk, making excuses for everything you said. Never once did it cross my mind that you were play acting to manipulate us," the walrus's eyes were narrowed in anger. "I could excuse being upset, I could forgive anger, but this?" Rotor turned and began to stomp off.

"Rotor, where are you going?"

"I'm going to take a look at my life and try to decide whether or not I can keep working with and fighting beside someone who obviously doesn't trust me." And with that, Tusker was gone, leaving a stunned group of Freedom Fighters and a much less cheerful celebration in his wake. Tiredly, Tails walked up to his female guardian.

"Is… Is Rotor going to leave us?" the fox kit asked with a yawn.

"I… I don't… No, no he's not," Sally answered, though with somewhat less conviction than anybody would have liked. Suddenly, she realized that the kit was indeed tired; not surprising considering that it was well past his usual bed time. Happy to have something to take her mind off this recent unpleasantness, even if only for the night, Sally knelt down to him. "Come on Tails its time to go to bed."

"Ah, but I'm not yawn tired," the fox managed to say unconvincingly as his small body was picked up by his "Aunt's" arms and carried away.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Some time later, Sonic had managed to get the celebration going again, though it was markedly less enthusiastic than before. The Hedgehog made a mental note to go talk to Rotor, and hopefully convince the walrus that the Freedom Fighters were still very much worth his time and energy.

Suddenly, the cobalt quickster became cognizant of a beeping sound coming from near his feet. Looking down, he discovered Nicole, whom Sally had placed on a nearby table to avoid damaging. The clever little computer had used her eject able wire ports to catch hold of one of Sonic's legs and pull herself towards the blue Mobian. Why was a question Sonic couldn't answer, particularly since, had he not noticed her quickly, he most likely would have crushed her beneath his feet by accident.

"Sonic, there is a problem," the little computer said with great urgency in her voice.

"What up Nicole?" Sonic asked as he scooped the little machine up off the ground.

"I just picked up on a transmission leaving Knothole."

"A transmission? Nicole, Sally was just play acting at having you monitor us," Sonic said incredulously.

"Yes, but that does not mean I don't look for patterns on my own. Robotnik has been known to place tracers on all of you in his attempts to discover the location of Knothole."

"Okay so disable the tracer."

"I don't think it's a tracer, Sonic. It's a full scale transmission… to Wing Fortress."

"Who's doing it?"

"There's only one person in Knothole with any connection to Wing Fortress, and he's currently all alone with Princess Sally," the computer said with great urgency. Realizing just what Nicole meant, Sonic's eyes widened as he suddenly revved up and sped away, tearing his way through Knothole.

_&Oh please, oh please don't let me be too late,&_ Sonic thought as he came to a screeching halt in front of the hut belonging to Miles "Tails" Prower.

"Sally?" the hedgehog called, hoping to hear his girlfriend's sharp reprimand for daring to wake up Tails just as he was dozing off. When no reply came, Sonic's heart began to sink.

_&Maybe, maybe she just fell asleep too. She's done that before.&_ Cautiously Sonic opened the door to his best friend's hut. Inside it was dark, but this was remedied fairly easily by the flipping of a switch. When the lights went on, Sonic let out a started gasp at what he saw. Hanging from the ceiling fan was Sally's blue vest, a note attached to it. Neither Tails nor Sally seemed present at all. Morbidly curious, Sonic reach up and plucked the note from the vest, never noticing the faint clicking sound that came as the door behind him closed.

"Hedgehog fall down, go boom," Sonic read, puzzled as to the almost infantile structure of the message. Sudden realization dawned on him as he notice the bomb the paper had previously been covering attached to the vest, a bomb that had only seconds left on its timer. Quickly Sonic ran back to the door, only to find it completely locked, a set of iron bars now crossing it. As if on cue, more bars slid down on the windows, barring his passage through them. "I really don't like that guy," Sonic said as he watched the timer finally reach zero. The explosion was deafening.

To Be Continued.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

There you have it, the next chapter of Prophecy and the return of Silver Fox… Can I please have my kitten back now? Hope you enjoyed it and didn't get too confused. I just wanted to do a story wherein one of Robotnik's little traitor schemes backfired on him. Anyhow, if you read, please review. See ya next update, say in 2010.


	7. RotME: Ducks in a Row

Rise of the Machine Empire – Part 1

"Ducks in a row"

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: I've said it before, I'll say it again. I don't own Sonic, Sally, Tails, Rotor, or any of the characters you'll recognize from the show, comic books, or games. I do own the bit characters, and of course Silver Fox himself. If you'd like to use him, please let me know in advance.

Author's Note: Here we go.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sally awoke to a fairly nasty headache on a soft mattress bed with a deep groan. Quickly she took stock of the previous night's events. She'd been celebrating her triumphant mission to Robotropolis where she and her team had successfully destroyed the egg-generator, crippling Robotnik's empire. During the party, Rotor had confronted her with regards to her somewhat underhanded tactics, particularly in dealing with her fellow Freedom Fighters. Then a sleepy-eyed Tails had asked if she'd tuck him in, an escape from the situation the Princess had gladly taken, hoping it would allow her some time to figure out how to make it up to Rotor. She'd entered the kit's hut and then…

Nothing. The squirrel was quite surprised to find she couldn't remember anything after that, not even when she had obviously dragged herself to bed. Suddenly, she sensed movement in the darkened room. A little bit of light was shining past the drawn curtains showing off a small and familiar silhouette.

"Tails?" she asked quietly. On her more hectic or stressful nights, it was not uncommon for the rebel leader to crash at her adoptive nephew's after tucking him in. He didn't mind, it often made him feel important to know that Sally found his company so relaxing. The only downside was that, in his efforts to be a "good boy" for his Aunt Sally, Tails often went out of his way to make sure she was not disturbed, often resulting in her sleeping until noon. Obviously that's what he'd done this time. Suddenly, the silhouette turned to her, and the Princess could almost swear she'd seen sunlight bouncing off a polished metallic surface.

"You're awake," Tails said in a voice that seemed oddly distorted. Lifting herself into a sitting position on the bed, Sally looked down at her young nephew.

"What happened?"

"You've been out for quite a while. I guess Rotor's little tantrum took a lot more out of you than I thought," Tails explained as he approached the bed, his footfalls seeming oddly heavy for such a little fox. "Course I really don't get what he's so worked up about. Your plan worked and in the end that's what counts. Maybe he should just pack up and leave if he's not able to play hardball." Just a few weeks ago, Rotor had been one of the two core Freedom Fighters arguing for Tails to remain in Knothole, and now Tails himself was basically suggesting that Rotor be removed. Quietly the two tailed fox crawled up onto the bed.

"Tails, that's not nice," Sally admonished, strangely wondering if the kit's eyes had always appeared so reddish in the dark. Once more she rubbed her head, wincing as she came upon a tender spot. "Rotor is entitled to his opinion; he's not a slave to me."

"Ah yes, the ever-present idea of friendship amongst the Freedom Fighters." Sally mentally winced as she heard the disdain in the young fox's voice for the group that had been his family for so long. Something was wrong, something was most definitely wrong.

"Tails, is something the matter?" Sally asked; her guard up as she did so. "Why didn't you open up the window and let the sunlight in?" Suddenly she could feel Tails's face right in front of hers. No warm breath struck her, only a cold aura of confidence.

"If I asked you to," the lights suddenly came on, "would you be my friend?" Sally screamed with a start as she leapt back away from the visage she saw.

"Silver Fox!"

"In the flesh, at least for now," the metallic monster grinned. Though the cyber-criminal was obviously in control, his body had yet to complete the transformation. Here and there, bits and pieces of his body were still covered in fur, but even as Sally watched, these were being quickly subsumed by the machine. Most frightening was his face. Though the ears and eyes seemed fully roboticized, only the right portion of his muzzle and the back left section of his head were mechanical. The rest was still the same flesh and blood face she'd known as Miles Prower, only now it was twisted in an evil smirk. "What's the matter? Not happy to see me?"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Knothole was in chaos. But then why shouldn't it be. Not but a few hours ago, a series of explosions had erupted inside the normally safe and sane little village, leveling five huts and spreading fire and destruction throughout the township. The Knothole Volunteer Firefighters had only just barely been able to keep it from spreading the rest of the village, not to mention the Great Forest itself. Now the unhappy task of sifting through the damaged huts fell to Antoine, who was acting as the unofficial leader of the searchers in the absence of Sonic, Sally, or even Rotor. So far the Freedom Fighters felt lucky. They had yet to come across any casualties. Everyone, it seemed, had been at the celebration, so the huts that had exploded had, thankfully, been empty. All save the last hut they'd been able to check, which ironically, was the first hut that had exploded; the one belonging to Mile Prower, a.k.a. Tails.

"Sugar-Twan, you don't suppose Tails and the Princess were in there when it blew?" Bunnie asked, clearly remembering Sally taking the young fox to bed earlier.

"I am hoping not Bunnie, but it will be doing no good to deny zhe possibility," Antoine answered. He wished any of the others were here instead of him. Sonic was eternally optimistic, Sally had N.I.C.O.L.E. to give her scans of the area; even Rotor was more likely to know if anyone had been inside just by examining the wreckage. All he could do was worry as other people worked.

"ANTOINE!" Bunnie called from over in the middle of the burned hut. "Something's here." Antoine raced over to where his rabbit friend stood, right next to a fallen beam that had once been the roof of their foxy friend's hut. All around him were burnt and mangled toys. From the bottom of his heart he hoped their owner was in better shape, for more than one reason. That was when he heard it; a soft but persistent banging sound, like someone smacking into metal.

"Bunnie, I think it is coming from under zhe beam." Without a second wasted, the cyber-Mobian lifted the heavy wooden obstacle and threw it off to the side. Underneath the pair could see what looked like a small steel door. Quickly Bunnie opened it and inside they found Sonic himself, curled up like a ball and squeezed so tightly into the small space that he couldn't get out. Sensing her friend's peril, Bunnie wedged her arm into the shallow pit and successfully popped the hedgehog out.

"AIR!" Sonic gasped as he breathed in the fresh air, falling over as he did so. When, after a full two minutes, the blue speedster failed to moved, Antoine unbuckled his sword and used the scabbard to poke his spiny friend carefully.

"Sonic?"

"I'm all right," Sonic responded irritably. "I just need some air. I thought I was gonna die in there."

"What happened, Sugar-Hog?"

"It was a trap," Sonic began. "Guys, Silver Fox is back."

"But how is that possible?! Tails was deroboticized, was he not?"

"I don't know, but either he's back or Tails is developing a seriously twisted sense of humor," Sonic explained. "He planted a bomb and sealed up to the hut. I was lucky I remembered about Tails's little hidey-hole, or I'd be one crispy critter right now."

"Luckier than you know," Rotor interjected as he came upon the group, looking like he'd fought his way through horde of SWATbots to get there. "If they hadn't found you, you'd probably have run out of air." Bunnie moved just in time to catch the beaten tusker as he stumbled and began to fall forward.

"What happened to you Rotor?"

"I was attacked…"

"By what, a house?"

"Yeah, mine," Rotor explained. "I was in my workshop after the… unpleasantness, when I heard the explosions go off. Suddenly I was mobbed by my own workshop's defense system. I barely made it out of there alive!"

"How'd Silver Fox take over your system?" Sonic asked.

"Silver Fox? Is that who's behind this?"

"Apparently. I don't know how long he's been active but…"

"Then it could have been at any point today if he'd decided to strike, Tails was with me the entire day."

"But why be setting a trap for you? I am thinking it is Soneec who is the one he cannot be standing."

"Ah don't know, and I don't rightly care," Bunnie said as she hefted the larger walrus up into her arms. "But I do know you two need to be checked out by Dr. Quack."

"He's got Sally. I know it," Sonic stated turning as he prepared to leave. "That's why he left her jacket behind, so I'd know it before I died. I'm going after him."

"And what exactly do you intend to do, Sonic? Go knock on his fortress and hope he's in a giving mood," Rotor said. "We need to find him first and then we need some sort of plan."

"No! No waiting. We waited last time and he destroyed Kith Alunel. Tails's is still on a guilt trip about that. I'm not letting that monster hurt Sally and leaving Tails with the guilt when we bring him down."

"How are you going to find him? Wing Fortress could be anywhere and even N.I.C.O.L.E. can't penetrate its shields with any sort of consistency."

"Maybe not, but I know someone who can." So saying, Sonic sped off before his friends could stop him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Back at the Wing Fortress, Silver Fox laughed a grating, metallic laugh as he watched the scene unfold on a large screen before him. Next to him, Sally sat upright on the bed she'd awoken on, a puzzled look on her face as she watched the metallic fox.

"I don't know what you're so pleased about," she stated. "Sonic survived your little deathtrap and will be on his way soon to stop whatever mad scheme you've come up with." Quieting his laughter, Silver Fox turned to his captive, a smile on his face that showed many of his metallic teeth.

"Sally, Sally, Sally," he began in a condescending tone, "Do you honestly think I've spent the past few months planning and scheming just to finish Sonic off with a bomb planted in Tails's hut? Awfully practical I must admit but hardly something worth all that effort. I wanted Sonic to survive. My big surprise is that he didn't notice the armor plated table I left for him to hide behind." Suddenly, the metallic Mobian began cackling again. "That idiot nearly killed himself trying to escape the explosion anyway…"

"So what am I here for; bait to capture Sonic with?"

"Let's be honest Princess, if I just needed you for bait, you'd be dead right now. Sonic's so hyped up about me, he'd have come if I'd just left a picture of myself mooning him in that hut. No, my dear, you're here for another reason entirely." At this point, the still partially transformed Silver Fox leapt up onto the bed, moving so that his part flesh, part machine face stared right into her own. "I need a mate." For the briefest of moments Sally wondered if she'd heard right.

"You're insane," she finally stated. "There are so many things wrong with that idea I don't even know where to start."

"I need a partner, an equal. A Queen to my King, an omega to my alpha, a match to my flame… A Sally to my Sonic," he added slyly with a smile.

"Get over yourself," Sally said as she pushed him away, oddly enough succeeding as the robo-fox went backwards. Of course the squirrel princess was no fool. The only way she could have so easily out-muscled a machine like Silver Fox was if he let her. "Do you have any idea how much a loathe you?"

"Only about half as much as you think you do," Silver Fox answered, swinging his legs back over the bed. "Besides, it's not you I'm interested in; at least, not the whole you." Wary now of whatever the menacing mechanoid had planned, Sally backed away.

"What do you mean?" Silver Fox hopped off the bed, a sight that might have appeared comical given his somewhat malicious nature if Sally didn't know he'd done it completely on purpose. Though he was trying to put her at ease by acting like Tails, Sally knew deep down in her heart that there was little if any similarity between the two kits. Quickly Silver Fox walked to the door.

"I don't think I should tell you just yet, Princess. Better to wait for it to be a surprise, don't you think?"

"I don't think I can take too many of your 'surprises' Silver Fox."

"Touché, 'Aunt' Sally, touché. But rest assured that this will be a surprise well worth the wait…" With that Silver Fox left the room, locking the door, and Sally inside.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Robotnik!" Sonic called as he raced into the city of Robotropolis, trying to attract as much attention as he could. Given the situation, he did not have the time to waste on their usual games of hide and seek as he raced through the city. "ROBOTNIK!!" Suddenly, a spy orb made itself known to the hedgehog, floating before him steadily. Its holo-projector activated and a three dimensional picture of the Mobian dictator stood before the hedgehog, wearing of all things a nightcap and bed clothes.

"Sonic, I was having the most wonderful dream. And you were in it, with rusty nails and seventy-five pounds of salt. Why have you interrupted such a magnificent dream?"

"I need your help." At this statement Robotnik broke into a laughing fit.

"My help? What on Mobius makes you think I'd help you after what you did?"

"Silver Fox," Sonic answered. At the sound of his creation's name, Robotnik's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he returned to normal.

"I see. Am I to take it young Mr. Prower has suffered some form of accident?"

"I don't know how he came back; I just know he's back. And I need your help to find him," Sonic said. "He has Sally." Robotnik snickered at this. Even with the danger the machine fox represented, he couldn't help but be impressed at his own brilliance in action. Silver Fox had been programmed and conditioned to target the world in general and Sonic in particular, and what better way to torment the hedgehog than by taking the woman he loved.

"That would seem to be more your problem than mine, hedgehog," Robotnik said snidely.

"Want me to make it your problem?" Sonic threatened.

"I actually have more than enough on my hands at the moment," Robotnik replied before slyly adding. "But, if you would take one of them off my hands…"

"Kinda cheesy trying to charge me to save your blubber-butt as well as everyone else's," Sonic growled. "Especially when it's your fault this is happening."

"Now Sonic, who ever accused me of being fair," the blubbery Overlander cooed. "Now as I recall, not less than eight hours ago, your Princess pulled off a most impressive bit of deception that robbed me of my precious little Egg-Generator power plant." Sonic stared at the rotund dictator in silent fury, refusing to answer what was most obviously not a real question. "No doubt you and your little band of ruffians hope to capitalize on this, try to strike me while my defenses are low. But if that's the case, it hardly seems fair to ask me to divert any of my precious resources to locating your rogue friend, now does it?"

"How long?" Sonic asked, already guessing the price for Robotnik's cooperation. Sally would be none too thrilled to find out he'd struck this particularly bargain, but from the hedgehog's point of view saying "no" was not an option at the moment.

"It should take me about a week to get the generator back on-line so… lets make it one month…"

"A month?!"

"Yes… A week to fix the generator, and three more to come up with something suitable to thank you with for yesterday."

"Two weeks!"

"Does this look like 'Let's Make A Deal,' hedgehog?" the overlander chortled. "One month, with not so much as a piece of you fools' DANDER showing up in my city, no matter what, or you can try to find your tin-plated Tails and his flying fortress on your own!" Outside Sonic stood with his eyes shut and his arms crossed, pretending to consider his nemesis's words. Inwardly though, the blue hedgehog raged and screamed, calling up every foul name, every nasty adjective, every horrible word he knew and mentally hurling them at Robotnik. If the megalomaniacal madman noticed he gave no sign other than a disgustingly innocent look on his flabby and hideous face. Finally, understanding he was backed into a corner, Sonic unfolded his arms.

"You've got a deal," he grudgingly said.

"Excellent," Robotnik responded, clasping his hands together. "And since you're the oh-so noble 'Hero of Mobius' I know I can trust you not to back out of our agreement." Suddenly, the holographic image of Robotnik faded as the spy orb retreated, stopping only for a second to signal for Sonic to follow. Angrily the teen complied.

& & &

Inside his Command Center, Robotnik marveled how the universe never ceased to amaze even such a stupendous mind as his own. Only a few paltry hours ago he had been writhing in fury as he desperately sought a way to deal with the crippling blow his enemies had dealt him, and here he had been presented not only with the means to protect himself, but also get back at those who had hurt him in the first place. This only served to reinforce the belief the evil-minded Doctor had long held that everything, everywhere bent to his will and desire. Some could resist for a while, but in the end the universe itself had already chosen to hand its reins over him. And, as always, he could choose to be magnanimous in his good fortune, especially when that was precisely the course of action that would rankle Sonic's quills the most.

With a press of a button, the giant computer in Robotnik's command room awakened from its sleep mode, its monitors coming to life with incoming messages and data from all over the rotund overlander's empire. The evil doctor chose to ignore the displayed messages, inputting the command to wipe one the monitors clean so he could go to work, though his excellent memory stored away the more urgent items for later. Behind him the door hissed open as Sonic Hedgehog entered with a scowl on his face as he did so.

"My, that was fast," Robotnik said snidely.

"Can the sarcasm, fat-man, I'm only interested in Wing Fortress," Sonic responding with uncharacteristic hostility, a fact which sent a shiver of glee up the doctor's spine he typically only felt with roboticization.

"Of course, of course," Robotnik said in an all too polite voice. Immediately Sonic felt like forgetting his need and punching the fat human's lights out. Robotnik turned to begin tapping out commands on his computer. The main monitor began to display several graphs and plot lines over a generalized map of Mobius as it tried to home in on Wing Fortress's location.

Inwardly Robotnik felt a pang of disappointment. Despite the fact that he had betrayed his creator, Silver Fox was still one of Robotnik's "children" and, though the overlander wouldn't, and indeed couldn't, hesitate to crush him and his silly little rebellion, it pained Robotnik to know the automaton could be so reckless. Had he been the one to steal Wing Fortress, Robotnik was quite sure he would have made it far more difficult to track. Even Snively would have had that much sense. In the end, Robotnik simply chalked it up to the corruption of the Silver Fox program by whatever it was that had seized upon young Prower during his roboticization.

"You done yet?" the impatient hedgehog asked, causing the overlander to growl silently. He detested such impatience, one of the many reasons he had not done well with most of his early attempts at employment.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly do you plan to do when you find out where Sally is? Some ill-conceived rush headlong in for a rescue, no doubt."

"What do you care?"

"I care because if you fail, I'm the one who'll have to deal with the problem. I somehow doubt he's forgiven me for my part in his last defeat."

"I weep for you, I really do," Sonic said sarcastically. A few more moments of silence passed between the two, probably the first time in the history of their relationship such a thing had happened. Suddenly, the digital map began to zoom in quickly on a flyspeck of deep in the largest ocean of Mobius.

"Well I'll be…" Robotnik said as he recognized what he was looking at. "He's at Mt. Mobius, my old Veg-O-Fortress."

"The place with the pinball set-up?"

"The very same…"

"Right, then I'm gone."

"And how exactly do you plan to get there?" Robotnik asked.

"The Freedom Fighters have a plane, Doc."

"One plane against the Wing Fortress and all of the hardware Silver Fox will be able to throw at you? And over water no less? Tell me where you want the funeral, I'll send a mechanized bouquet." Sonic stopped in his tracks, his hands clenched into fists. Seeing that he had the hedgehog's attention, Robotnik continued. "He's not going to just let you in, you know, he wants you dead."

"And your point would be?"

"Let me send you with a squadron of Stealthbots for protection. They won't be able to wipe him out, but they should last long enough to provide you cover until you get onboard."

"And you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Call it insurance to make sure Silver Fox is suitably occupied instead of planning to wipe me out."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sally was somewhat worried. She'd been a prisoner often enough in her life to realize that it was when a captor left their prisoner to her own devices that were the most stressful, particularly if the prisoner wasn't entirely sure why she was captive. As Silver Fox had pointed out, her value as bait had evaporated the moment Sonic realized who had her, which left her questioning what he needed her for.

She'd spent her time scouring the room for something, anything she could use to her advantage to get out of her situation but, other than the bed she'd woken up on, there was nothing. Sadly, whatever material the mattress had been made of proved most resilient against either her nails or her teeth, making acquiring anything from said mattress nearly impossible.

Suddenly, the door opened with a sliding hiss as the Wing Fortress's most powerful occupant entered his body now ninety percent robotic, flanked by two SWATbots, an eager smile on his face.

"So, you've decided to do something other than let me just age in here alone?" Sally asked with a biting tone. For what other reason would Silver Fox feel the need to bring guards with him, it certainly wasn't as if Sally currently had the ability to hurt him.

"Very perceptive," Silver Fox stated. "Tane informs me that your blue beau is on the move, and with Robotnik's help no less. This actually calls for me to move onward with my plans, before he can successfully interrupt." The two SWATbots advanced on the squirrel Princess who quickly began to back away. "Now Princess, you're not going to force me to have them sedate you? They're merely going to insure you don't do anything… irritably heroic." Quickly the two machines each took a hold of one of Sally's arms, gripping her firmly but not harshly as they would have under Robotnik's commands.

"March," came a monotonous command as the SWATbots began moving forward, Silver Fox leading the way as Sally found herself being compelled to oblige. They walked at a quick pace, occasionally taking elevators and ramps as they navigated the massive aerial fortress. Sally kept her eyes peeled as she attempted to memorize her surroundings in the event of an escape, but they went down so many twisting corridors it soon became impossible keep track of the path they were taking. Eventually, however, they arrived at their destination.

It looked like a lab, a fact that did not bode well for Sally as she thought about it. One a cold steel table, a figure lay, draped over by a white sheet so that Sally could only make out the barest outline. Nearby, she was quite surprised to see what looked like the remnants of a palm tree, a robotic palm tree of all things. The young Acorn's mind tried to place where she'd heard of robotic palms before. Also in the room was a familiar looking chair sporting restraints and a circular headpiece with wires coming out of which, some of which connected to the form lying under the sheet on the table. Sally had no trouble recognizing that piece of hardware.

"The Brain-scanner," she said, remembering when Robotnik had used that same despicable device to create a near perfect robotic double of her to fool Sonic into revealing Knothole's location. The plan had failed, obviously, but apparently Silver Fox had managed to salvage the key component of it for his own purposes. "If you're hoping to duplicate me, it won't work."

"Yes, yes, I know," Silver Fox said as the two SWATbots maneuvered Sally over to the chair and used gentle force to make her sit. "The brain-scanner is unable to actually transfer anything more than a cursory amount of its subject's personality without lengthy exposure. And even then there is always something… missing from the duplicate is there not?"

"If you know this, then why try?" At Princess Sally's statement, Silver Fox actually looked offended.

"I'd never repeat one of Robotnik's plans, particularly a failed one. I have no interest in using you or Sonic to find Knothole, especially since I know where it is already."

"So then why…?"

"My allies have been scouring the Mobian oceans trying to find something for me, an island I visited a long time ago, back when I was still that pathetic little spoiled ball of fur you knew as Tails." Sally thought back, remembering when Tails had indeed gone island hoping on his own. It was just before he'd gone missing for a week only to turn up with the Downunda Freedom Fighters. Memory sparked in the Princess's mind as Silver Fox pulled off the sheet, revealing the table's occupant. A body lay there, still and unmoving as a corpse, its eyes closed and its arms crossed over its chest. It was a vixen, with dark red fur and even darker hair on its head, as well as a yellow bow. She looked young, somewhere around Tails's own age, but then, she wouldn't have been much use if she wasn't. Though the body on the table certainly resembled a female fox, Sally had little trouble recognizing one of Robotnik's diabolical duplicates when she saw one, particularly when half of its synthetic skin had been peeled away to expose the inner mechanics.

"The Fiona duplicate," Sally said, recognizing the fox from Tails's, and then Sonic's, descriptions of her.

"And they say the mind goes as you get older," Silver Fox quipped as his hands roamed over the exposed circuitry of the mechanical fox. "Though he be more for function over form, I myself must commend Dr. Robotnik for the sheer beauty of his design."

"You do know he just copied an already living fox, right?" Sally asked, not liking at all where this was going. Silver Fox's talk of needing a "mate" and then the revelation of his possession of this doll… Tails's life was screwed up enough with just Robotnik walking around.

"Do not insult my intellect, Princess," Silver Fox responded, his luminescent eyes glowing blood red for a few seconds, almost as though he really was defending something he cared for. "I don't speak of her physical looks, but her eternal." The roboticized fox walked over to a nearby computer monitor, which began displaying schematics. "Did you know that the Fiona model was not the first duplicate created? She was actually the last. Robotnik had intended to use her as a form of psychological torture on Sonic, but with the failure and subsequent destruction of the other duplicates, and the premature escape of the 'real' Fiona, he turned his attention elsewhere, until an opportunity arose to use her."

"When Tails set off on his own and got tangled up on the robotic island," Sally finished for him.

"Was I ever so naïve?" Silver Fox asked wistfully. "But as I was saying, she possesses the most advanced of Robotnik's robotic technology, at least at the time of her creation. And she was created with the sole purpose of seeming absolutely real. Her servos are finely made enough to allow almost perfect fluidity of motion, her eyes react with almost true photosensitivity, and her fingers are delicate enough to gently move through real fur." As he said this last part, a creepy smile came to the grey colored robot's face as though he were remembering something very pleasant. Just as quickly, he snapped out of it. "Her programming, on the other hand, is horribly flawed, do more to the fact that Robotnik never had any intention of using her after trying to entrap me."

"Entrap Tails you mean," Sally said.

"Tails is a memory, Princess, a weak and pathetic cub that I was before I found the strength to crush those who dared try to harm me. I would suggest you get used to that."

"Then why are you so obsessed with what was essentially his first love?" No retort came from the fox as he roughly pulled back more of the robotic Fiona's "skin," this time from the head, exposing her artificial skull. Quickly he began to connect the brain-scanner to R-Fiona, something Sally was finding very distressing.

"I intend to remedy the flaws in her programming by adding the most desirable elements of your mind, as well as my own."

"E.V.E. already proved you can't transfer knowledge or intelligence, it's learned."

"True enough, but you can transfer the predisposition for certain traits. Your intellect is what you make of it, but you couldn't have nurtured it thoroughly if the seeds had not been present. Likewise for you abilities as a leader, your drive, your force of personality, all characteristics that make you a VERY attractive person."

"You're coming across as creepy again," Sally said, trying to hide the revulsion she was feeling.

"And there in lies the ugly side, which I cannot abide. Hence why I too will also be donating a portion of my programming, in order to equip this lass with some of my better features. My indomitable will, ruthless ambition, and massive intellect will more than make up for your own personality flaws."

"Personality flaws?" Sally asked incredulously. Her anger was dissipated; however, as she watched the machine she was now attached to begin to power up.

"Unfortunately, successfully copying your data and then integrating it into her programming will take time, time we are steadily losing I'm afraid as we draw closer and closer to Sonic's arrival." The lights of the brain-scanner's helmet illuminated as Sally began to feel a slight tugging sensation at the back of her mind. "You should be grateful, Auntie dear, at this setting the process may indeed be long, but it will also be painless."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sonic did not like this, not one bit.

Essentially, he was trapped in a flying egg, surrounded by armed SWATbots as they flew over the largest ocean on Mobius. The Hover-Unit he was in was also surrounded, this time by Stealthbots which were serving as an armed escort for the slower moving craft. And all Sonic had to insure they wouldn't attack was Robotnik's word, a form of currency that, when combined with five mobies, couldn't get you gumball in old Mobotropolis. Still, the machines had been on their best behavior so far.

"We are approaching our destination," the pilot said in a monotone voice. "Possible hostiles approaching."

"Possible?" Sonic asked as he moved up front to view the scene. Mt. Mobius loomed in the distance, quickly getting bigger as they approached. Hovering over it bobbing slightly in the air as though it were resting on the water instead, was Wing Fortress, the target for Sonic's mission. What got the hedgehog's attention, though, was the countless small dots that seemed to be angrily zipping around the flying metal base; Silver Fox's own air-force. "Nothing is ever easy." As if on cue, the formerly distant ships began to surge forward.

"Hostility confirmed. Switching to battle formation," the SWATpilot said as the Stealthbots moved to intercept the incoming attack craft. As it stood, they were outnumbered four to one, but as Robotnik had said, they were simply to make sure Sonic got into the fortress.

"Go low and fast," Sonic ordered the pilot as the SWATbots readied their weapons. "Skirt the water and come up the base of the volcano."

"Tactic approved," the SWATpilot said as it complied. Above him Sonic watched as Robotnik's Stealthbots engaged those of the Wing Fortress. Suddenly, the hover-unit rocked as two missiles exploded at its rear. "Engines have sustained damage." At the pilot's words, two SWATbots moved to the back where the smoking machines were and using emergency blankets to help smother some of the flames. Two more SWATs opened the Hover-Unit's door and began returning fire with their laser rifles. And all the while, Sonic watched as the base of Mt. Mobius raced towards them.

"Get this heap moving faster," Sonic said.

"That is not recommended," the pilot responded. "Damage to the engines has made them unstable. It is inadvisable to push them to their limits. There is an eighty-seven percent probability the engines will be completely disabled before we make it to Wing Fortress."

"If we get shot down over the water, we'll never be able to make it Mt. Mobius, let alone Wing Fortress." For a few brief moments, the pilot processed Sonic's words.

"Complying." The hover-unit shot forward as more power began to be poured out of it's thrusters, causing the already smoking engines to glow dully red as they did so. Skillfully the SWATpilot maneuvered the ship as bits and pieces of destroyed Stealthbots, some from the Wing Fortress, most from Robotnik, fell around them and into the water below.

"Incoming enemy fire," one of the SWATbots manning the hover-unit's door said, just as a missile struck the poor robot, blowing a hole open in the ship.

"Structural integrity severely compromised!" came the warning from the SWATpilot.

"Keep going, we're almost there!" Sonic yelled. More missiles struck the craft.

"Danger! Danger! Explosion imminent!" One of the SWATbots in back barked Sure enough, fuel was leaking all over the floor. "Recommendation; abandon ship." Sonic looked out the hole in the hover-unit's side at the ocean racing, not really liking his options. Either he could stay put and wait to be blown out of the sky and sink into the ocean in this ovoid tomb-to-go, or he could leave and probably get blasted by Stealthbots as he made a hash of trying to swim the last hundred or so yards to the oceanic volcano.

Thinking quickly, Sonic began to run around and around in a tight circle, building up his speed. Once he'd judged himself to be moving fast enough, the blue blur raced out of the hole; hoping his momentum and speed would allow him to charge across the water for the short distance he required. Typically he needed some sort of head start to perform that trick, or a power ring at least, but hopefully the short distance would improve his chances.

Water sprayed everywhere as his feet hit the surface, creating a huge wake behind him that washed what was left of the crippled hover-unit under the waves. Above him he could see that his escort was down to four measly Stealthbots, none of which were undamaged. Floating even higher in the sky, the Wing Fortress hovered placidly, a great behemoth unconcerned with the battle going on below it. Sonic's observations were cut short, however, as he felt his feet slipping below the surface of the water, slowing him down. With a grunt the highspeed hedgehog redoubled his efforts, ripping his now soggy shoes from the water's grasp as he ran like a madman. He was less than twenty yards from the rocky mountain. Laserfire descended all around him, throwing up jets of water that threatened to slow him further and cause him to unbalance, but the hedgehog pushed on.

"Don't worry Sally," Sonic said as he made a somewhat sloppy leap for Mt. Mobius. "I'm on my way!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

To Be Continued…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Next time: The Veg-O-Fortress Revisited.


End file.
